Cbe  Bible 


of  Pr/V;. 


DEC  19  1899 


Olr, 


sxicais*".*]}:: 


Oivision.'X).5."M  " 
Section,..M.57B 

Ne :l2. 


TLbc  /IDessa^es  of  tbc  Bible 

EDITED     BY 

Professor  Frank  K.  Sanders,  Ph.D.,  of  Yale  University,  and 
Professor  Charles  F.  Kent,  Ph.D.,  of  Brown  University. 
This  series  is  not  a  substitute  for  the  Bible,  but  an  aid  to  the  reverent, 
appreciative,  and  enthusiastic  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  in  fact  it  will  serve 
the  purpose  of  an 

ORIGINAL  AND  POPULAR  COMMENTARY  ON  THE  BIBLE. 

The  books  of  the  Bible  are  grouped  according  to  a  natural  classification, 
their  contents  arranged  in  the  order  of  appearance  and  a  scholarly  yet 
popular  paraphrase  of  their  distinctive  thought  given  in  plain  and  expressive 
English.  The  purpose  of  the  series  is  to  enable  any  reader  of  the  Bible  to 
understand  its  meaning  as  a  reverent  scholar  of  to-day  does,  and  in  particular 
to  receive  the  exact  impression  which  the  words  as  originally  heard  or  read 
must  have  made  upon  those  for  whom  they  were  delivered. 

Technicalities  and  unsettled  questions  will  be,  as  far  as  possible,  ignored. 
Each  volume  will  be  prepared  by  a  leading  specialist  and  will  contain  such 
brief  introductions  as  serve  to  put  the  reader  into  intelligent  relation  to  the 
general  theme  treated.  The  editorial  rearrangement  of  the  order  of  the 
Biblical  books  or  sections  will  represent  the  definite  results  of  sober  scholar- 
ship. 


I.  Ube  Messages  of  tbe  Earlier  ipropbets. 
II.  Ubc  /Messages  of  tbc  later  ipropbets. 

III.  Ube  /IDessages  of  tbe  Xaw  ©ivers. 

IV.  Ube  /messages  of  tbe  ff»ropbetical  an©  ff>riestlB  Ibfstorfans. 
V.  Ube  /messages  of  tbc  psalmists. 

VI.  Ube  /messages  of  tbc  Sages. 
VII.  Ube  /messages  of  tbc  Bramatic  ipoets. 
VIII.  Ube  /messages  of  tbe  Hpocal^sptic  TMriters. 
IX.  Ubc  /messages  of  ^esus  accor^ing  to  tbe  S^noptists. 
X.  Ube  /messages  of  5esu6  accor&ing  to  ^obn. 
XI.  Ube  /messages  of  Paul. 
XII.  Ubc  /messages  of  tbe  Hpostlcs. 


^be  flDee^agee  of  tbe  Bible 


BY 

Frank  Knight  Sanders,  Ph.D. 

Woolsey  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature   in  Yale  University 

AND 

Charles  Foster  Kent,  Ph.D. 

Professor  of  Biblical  History  and  Literature  in  Brown  University 


THE   MESSAGES   OF   THE    LATER 
PROPHETS 


TTbe  /iDessaQeg  of  tbe  JBtble 

THE  MESSAGES  OF  THE 
LATER  PROPHETS 


ARRANGED  IN  THE  ORDER  OF 
TIME,  ANALYZED,  AND  FREELY 
RENDERED    IN    PARAPHRASE 


BY 

Frank  Knight  Sanders,  Ph.d. 

Woolsey  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  in  Yale  University 
AND 

Charles  Foster  Kent,  Ph.d. 

Professor  of  Biblical  History  and  Literature  in  Brown  University 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 
1899 


Copyright,  1899, 

by 

CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


PREFACE 

This  volume  completes  the  arrangement  and  analytical 
paraphrase  of  the  prophetic  writings  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment begun  in  the  Messages  of  the  Earlier  Prophets. 
The  hearty  response  of  the  public  to  that  volume  has  en- 
couraged the  authors  to  continue  and  finish  their  task. 

We  cannot  expect  in  a  work  like  this  to  avoid  criticism. 
Opinions  differ  widely  regarding  the  exact  dates  to  be  as- 
signed to  particular  prophetic  addresses.  Many  will  be 
led,  for  reasons  that  seem  fair  and  convincing,  to  differ 
from  the  authors  in  regard  to  the  proper  setting  of  certain 
passages.  Such  candid  criticism  is  only  helpful  and  con- 
tributory to  the  desired  result  of  establishing  the  true 
history  of  prophecy.  This  is  the  goal  of  modern  schol- 
arship. It  is  not  of  supreme  importance  to  determine 
whether  Isaiah,  the  son  of  Amoz,  or  one  of  his  spiritual 
disciples,  wrote  chapters  24  to  27  of  the  book  that  bears 
his  name ;  the  one  needful  task  is  to  ascertain  the  proper 
position  of  their  contents  in  the  development  of  Old  Tes- 
tament revelation.  The  authors  have  adopted  the  con- 
clusions embodied  in  this  volume  after  repeated  and  mi- 
nute consideration  of  the  data.     While  not  infallible,  it 


Preface 

may  be  said  that  conclusions  which  in  the  main  agree 
with  those  of  such  careful  scholars  as  George  Adam 
Smith,  Kirkpatrick,  Driver  and  Nowack  cannot  we  regard- 
ed as  without  a  reasonable  foundation. 

Three  remarks  may  help  to  prepare  the  reader  to  ap- 
preciate the  point  of  view  of  the  authors  in  a  rearrange- 
ment of  the  prophetic  material  which  otherwise  might  im- 
press some  readers  as  unduly  radical  and  even  reckless. 
In  the  first  place,  as  was  intimated  in  Vol.  I.  (pp.  12,  84), 
the  principle  of  arrangement  is  strictly  historical.  Every 
passage  is  arranged  chronologically  according  to  the  pe- 
riod to  which  it  refers.  In  no  other  way  can  the  student 
of  prophecy  be  enabled  to  estimate  the  progress  of  re- 
vealed truth.  The  fragmentary  condition  (see  Vol.  I., 
pp.  1 1 -14)  of  the  majority  of  the  prophetic  books  and  the 
absence  of  dates  or  clear  chronological  data  compel  the 
scholar  to  rest  his  final  judgment  on  the  authority  of 
tradition  and  mere  juxtaposition,  or  else  upon  a  careful 
analysis  and  comparison  of  the  subject-matter  of  a  pas- 
sage. The  latter  seems  to  be  the  only  sure  criterion.  It 
is  open  to  revision,  but  not  to  rejection. 

Again  the  prophetic  writings,  historically  studied,  gain 
wonderfully  in  clearness,  force,  significance,  and  spiritual 
impression.  The  reader  puts  himself  into  the  situation 
of  the  prophets,  catches  the  glow  of  their  convictions,  and 
climbs  the  sublime  heights  of  their  hopes.  He  forgets 
the  writers  in  their  messages  and  comes  face  to  face,  not 
vi 


Preface 

with  the  mouthpiece  of  Jehovah,  but  with  his  living  word. 
The  messages  of  the  prophets  thus  become  communica- 
tions for  to-day  and  for  all  times. 

We  may  be  permitted  to  add  that  a  paraphrase  knows 
no  partisanship.  It  should  be  without  color.  This  vol- 
ume may  prove  useful  even  to  those  who  hesitate  to  ac- 
cept the  historical  conclusions  of  its  authors.  Their 
chief  aim  has  been  to  render  into  expressive  English  the 
exact  thought  of  each  prophetic  paragraph.  The  explan- 
atory headings  indicate  the  interpretation  which  is  deemed 
to  be  on  the  whole  the  truest  and  most  helpful. 

To  the  Reverend  Samuel  B.  Sherrill,  who  has  reviewed 
this  volume  in  manuscript,  we  are  indebted  for  valuable 
suggestions.  F.  K.  S. 

C.  F.  K. 


VU 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

PAGE 

I.  The  Characteristics  of  Exilic  and  Post-Exilic 
Prophecy     3 

II.  The  Decade  Before  the  Final  Fall  of  Jerusa- 
lem AND  ITS  Two  Great  Prophets 11 

EZEKIEL,  THE   PRIEST-PROPHET   OF   THE   EXILES 
I.  The  Prophet  and  his  Prophecies 19 

II.  The   Imaginative   Element  in   Ezekiel's  Proph- 
esying       23 

III.  The  Prophet's  Call  and  Commission  (i  :  i  to  3  :  21) 

1.  The  Vision  of  the  Divine  Presence  (i  :  1-28)     ...     28 

2.  Jehovah's  Message  of  Mingled  Discouragement  and 
Cheer  {2  :  i  to  3  :  11) 29 

3.  The  Prophet  Appointed  as  a  Watchman      ....     30 

PREDICTIONS    OF    EZEKIEL    CONCERNING    THE 
CERTAIN  FATE  OF  JERUSALEM  AND  JUDAH 

I.  Symbolic  Prophecies  of  the  Coming  Overthrow 
of  City  and  Land  (3  :  22  to  7  :  27) 

1.  The  New  Method  of  Prophetic  Work  (3  :  22-27)  •     •     35 

2.  Symbohc    Representations    of   the    Fate   About   to 
Overtake  Jerusalem  (4  :  i  to  5  :  17) 35 

3.  The  Certain  Devastation  of  the  Land  of  Israel  (6)    .     38 

4.  The  Doom  of  the  Nation  (7)       39 

ix 


Contents 

PAGE 

II.  The  Vision  of  the  Sin   of   Jerusalem  and    its 
Consequences  (8  :  i  to  12  :  20) 

1.  The  Shameless  Idolatry  of  Jerusalem  (8)     ....     40 

2.  Its  Inevitable  Consequences  :  Destruction  of  the 
People  by  Sword  and  Fire  and  the  Departure  of 
Jehovah  (9  to  11) 42 

(i)  A  Slaughter  of   the   Idolatrous   Inhabitants  Decreed 
(9:1-") 

(2)  The  City  to  Be  Set  on  Fire  (lo :  1-7) 

(3)  The   Identification  of  the  Cherubim  with  the  Living 
Creatures  (10:  8-22) 

(4)  The  Departure  of  Jehovah  from  the  Deluded  City  (11) 

3.  The  Certain  Exile  of  King  and  People  (12  :  1-20)     .     45 

III.  The  Moral   Necessity   of  Judah's   Destruction 
(12  :  21  to  19  :  14) 

1.  The  Popular  Scepticism  Supported  by  False  Proph- 
ets (12  :  21  to  13  :  23)     46 

2.  The  People  Idolatrous  beyond  Pardon  (14)     ...     47 

(i)  Jehovah  cannot  Answer  Stubborn  Idolators  (14  :  i-ii) 
(2)  The  Nation  Not  to  Be  Saved  by  a  Few  Good  Men 
(14  :  12-23) 

3.  Jehovah's  People  a  Worthless  Vine  (15)      ....     48 

4.  The  Moral  History  of  the  Israelitish  Race  (16)     .     .     49 
.5.   The  Consequences  of  Zedekiah's  Breach  of  Faith  (17)     51 

6.  The  Principles  in  Accordance  with  which  God  Exer- 
cises Judgment  (18)       52 

7.  The  Sad  Fate  of  Judah's  Rulers  (19) 53 

IV.  Final  Prophecies  of  Judgment  (20  to  24) 

1.  The  Secret  of  Jehovah's  Past  Dealings  with  His 
People  (20  :  1-44) 54 

2.  Jehovah's  Avenging  Sword  (20  :  45  to  21  :  32)      .     .     55 
•  3.  The  Indictment  of  Jerusalem  (22) 57 

4.  The  Two  Unfaithful  Wives  of  Jehovah  (23)    ...     58 

5.  The  Tidings  of  the  Siege  of  Jerusalem  (24)     ...     59 

X 


Contents 


PAGE 

PROPHECIES   OF  OBADIAH   AND    EZEKIEL 
AGAINST   FOREIGN   NATIONS 

I.  The  Long-expected  Catastrophe 63 

II.  Obadiah's  Diatribe  Against  Edom 

1.  Edom's  Hereditary  Relations  with  Judah  .     .     .     .    6^ 

2.  Edom's  Apparent  Triumph  to  be  Reversed  (Oba- 
diah  1-21) 69 

III.  The  Stand-point  of  Ezekiel's  Foreign  Prophe- 
cies       72 

IV.  The    Predictions    of    Ezekiel    Against    Foreign 
Nations  {25  to  32) 

1.  Prophecies  against  Judah's   Immediate  Neighbors 
(25) 74 

2.  Prophecies  against  Phoenicia  (26  to  28) 75 

(i)  The  Coining  Destruction  of  Tyre  (26) 

(2)  A  Dirge  over  her  Downfall  (27) 

(3)  Tyre's  Opportunity  and  Well-deserved  Fate  (28 :  1-19) 

(4)  The  Fate  of  Sidon  (28  :  20-26) 

3.  Prophecies  against  Egypt  (29  to  32) 79 

(1)  Egypt  to  be  Humbled  to  the  Dust  (29  :  1-16  ;  30 :  1-19) 

(2)  The  Pharaoh  to  be  Crippled  (30  :  20-26) 

(3)  Egypt  the  Fallen  Cedar  (31) 

(4)  Egypt's  Coming  Desolation  (  32  :  1-16) 

(5)  The  Dirge  for  the  Dead  (32  :  17-32) 

(6)  Egypt  to  be  Nebuchadrezzar's  Reward  (29  :  17-21) 


JEREMIAH'S   MESSAGE  TO  THE   JEWISH 
FUGITIVES   IN   EGYPT 

I.  The    Remnants   of   the   Jewish    Nation   in  the 
Land  of  Egypt 87 

xi 


Contents 

PAGE 

II.  Predictions  and  Solemn  Warnings  (43  :  8  to  44:  30) 

1.  The  Coming  Conquest  of  Egypt  by  Nebuchadrezzar 
(43  :  8-13) 91 

2.  The    Certain    Fate    of   Those    Unfaithful   to  God 

(44  :  1-30) 92 

EZEKIEL'S   MESSAGES   OF   COMFORT  TO  THE 
EXILES   IN    BABYLONIA 

I.  The  Supreme  Need  of  Prophetic  Ministration  .    97 
II.  Prophecies  of  Promise  and  Cheer  {-^2,  to  39) 

1.  The  Prophet  Appointed  to  Announce  Israel's  Pos- 
sible Future  (33) 99 

2.  The  True  Ruler  of  Israel  (34) loi 

3.  The  Certain  Restoration  of  Israel's  Land  (35  to  36)  102 

(i)  Edom's  Usurpation  to  be  Severely  Punished  by  Deso- 
lation (35) 

(2)  Judah    to    be    again    a  Fertile    and  Populous  Land 
(36  :  1-15) 

(3)  Jehovah's  Motive  for  Restoration  (36  :  16-38) 

4.  The  Revivified  and  United  People  {^n) 104 

(i)  The  Vision  of  the  Nation's  Resurrection  (37  :  1-14) 
(2)  The  Symbol  of  its  Unification  (37  :  15-28) 

5.  Jehovah's  Final  Triumph  (38  :  i  to  39  :  24)       .     .     .  106 

6.  Restored  and  Purified  Israel  (39  :  25-29)      ....  108 

EZEKIEL'S  VISION  OF  THE  RESTORED  HEBREW 
STATE 

I.  The  Character  and  Importance  of  the  Vision    .  iii 

II.  The  Details  of  the  Vision 

I.  The  New  Sanctuary  on  Mount  Zion  (40  to  43)     .     .  115 
(i)  Its  Gateways  and  Outer  Court  (40  :  1-27) 

xii 


Contents 


(2)  The  Inner  Court  (40  :  28-47) 

(3)  The  Temple  and  its  Adjuncts  (40  :  48  to  41  :  26) 

(4)  Other  Buildings  of   the    Inner  Court  (42  :  1-14  ;    46  : 
T9-24) 

(5)  The  Whole  Temple  Area  (42  :  15-20)  , 

(6)  The  Return  of  Jehovah  to  His  Abode  (43  :  1-12) 

(7)  The  Great  Altar  and  its  Consecration  (43  :  13-27) 

2.  Ordinances  Regarding  the  Temple  (44  to  46)       .     .  121 

(i)  The  Use  of  the  Outer  Eastern  Gateway  (44  :  1-3) 

(2)  The  Functions  of  the  Levites  and  the  Priests  (44  :  4-31) 

(3)  The  Apportionment  of  their  Land  (45  :  1-7) 

(4)  The    Rights    and    Duties    of    the    Prince  (45  :  8-17: 
46  :  16-18) 

(5)  The  Stated  Offerings  (45  :  18  to  46  :  15) 

3.  The  Renewing  and  Allotment  of  the  Land  {47  ;  48)    126 

(i)  The  Fertilizing  Stream  from  the  Temple  (47  :  1-12) 

(2)  The  Boundaries  of  the  Land  (47  :  13-20) 

(3)  The  Allotment  of  the  Land  (47  :  21  to  48  :  29) 

(4)  The  Holy  City  (48  :  30-35) 

SONGS  OF  EXULTATION   OVER  BABYLON'S 
APPROACHING   FALL 

I.  The  Rise  of  Cyrus 131 

II.  The    Date  and  Authorship    of    Isaiah     13  :  2  to 
14 :  23  ;  21  :  ib-io ;  Jeremiah  50  :  i  to  51  :  58  .     .     .     .134 

III.  Predictions    of    the     Fall     of     Babylon    (Isa. 
21  :  lb.  10  ;  13  :  2  to  14  :  23  ;  Jer.  50  :  2  to  51  :  58) 

1.  The  Vision  of  Coming  Overthrow  (Isa.  21  :  ib-io)    .  137 

2.  Jehovah's  Judgment  upon   Babylon   (Isa.  13  :  2  to 

14  :  23) 138 

3.  Retribution  for  Babylon  and  Restoration  for  Israel 
(Jer.  50  :  2  to  51  :  58) 140 

xiii 


Contents 

PAGE 

THE    MESSAGE    OF    THE    GREAT    PROPHET    OF 
THE  EXILE  (Isaiah  40  to  55) 

I.  The    Authorship,    Unity,  and    Date  of    Isaiah  40 
TO  55 149 

II.  The    Ideal    of  Service   Presented  in  the  Por- 
traits OF  the  True  Servant  of  Jehovah    .    .     .  155 

III.  The  Certainty  and  the  Reason  of  the  Release 
OF  Jehovah's  People  (Isa.  40  to  48) 

1.  The    Proclamation    that    Deliverance    is  at  Hand 

(40  :  i-ii) 160 

2.  Deliverance  Certain  because  the  Deliverer  is  Omnip- 
otent (40  :  12-31) 161 

3.  Jehovah's  Irresistible  Purpose  to  be  Realized  through 
Cyrus  (41  :  1-7,  21-29) 163 

4.  A  Personal  Message  of  Encouragement  to  Jehovah's 
Servant  Israel  (41  :  8-20) 164 

5.  The  Contrast  between  the  Ideal  Servant  whom  Je- 
hovah Seeks  and  the  Actual  Israel  (42) 166 

6.  The   Preparation   and   Mission  of  the  True   Israel 

(43  :  I  to  44  :  5) 169 

7.  Jehovah's  Incomparable  Superiority  to  the  Gods  of 
the  Heathen  (44  :  6-23) 171 

8.  The  Real  Purpose  and  Significance  of  the  Conquests 

of  Cyrus  (44  :  24  to  45  :  25) 173 

9.  The  Contrast  between  the  Deities  of  Babylon  and 
Jehovah  of  Israel  (46) 175 

10.  A  Taunt  Song  Commemorating  the  Impending  Fall 

of  Babylon  (47) 176 

11.  A  Recapitulation  of  Preceding  Arguments,  Cul- 
minating in  an  Exhortation  to  Flee  from  Babylon 
(48) 178 

xiv 


Contents 


PAGE 

IV.  The  Redemption  of  Israel  and  of  Mankind  to 
BE  Secured  Through  Self-sacrificing  Service 
(49  to  55) 

1.  The   Preparation  and  Mission  of  the  True  Servant 

of  Jehovah  (49  :  1-13) 180 

2.  Jehovah's  Assurances  that  he  will  Surely  Restore  his 
People  (49  :  14  to  50  :  3) 181 

3.  The  Experiences  of  the  True  Servant  of  Jehovah 
and  their  Lesson  (50  :  4-1 1) 183 

4.  Words  of  Exhortation  and  Encouragement  in  View 

of  the  Coming  Restoration  (51  :  i  to  52  :  12)     .     .     .   184 

5.  The  Mission  and  Future  Vindication  of  Jehovah's 
Martyr  Servant  {52  :  13  to  53  :  12) 187 

6.  Renewed  Promises  of  Restoration  (54) 189 

7.  A  General  Invitation  to  Participate  in  the  Blessings 

of  the  Coming  Restoration  (55) 191 

THE    MESSAGES    OF    HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH 
TO   THE  TEMPLE   BUILDERS 

I.  The  First  Two  Decades  of  the  Persian  Period  197 
XL  The  Personality  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah    .     .  204 

III.  The  Opening  Addresses  of  the  Prophets  (Hag. 
I  :  I  to  2  :  9  ;  Zech.  i  :  1-6) 

1.  Haggai's    Call    to     Begin    Building    the    Temple 

(I  :  i-ii) 206 

2.  Haggai's  Encouragement  to  the  People  to  Persevere 
(2:1-9) 207 

3.  Zechariah's  Lessons  from  the  Past  (i  :  1-6)    .     ,     .  209 

IV.  Haggai's  Sermons  in  Connection  with  the  Lay- 
ing OF  THE  Foundation  of  the  Temple  (2: 10-23) 

1.  The  Former  Uncleanness  of  the  Community  and  the 
New  Promise  of  Blessings  (2  :  10-19) 210 

2.  The  Revival  of  the  Natural  Hopes  of  Israel  (2  :  20-23)   211 

XV 


Contents 


PAGB 

V.  Zechariah's    Visions    of   Comfort  and    Promise 
(I  :  7  to  6  :  8) 

1.  The  Prophet's  Use  of  the  Vision  as  a  Form  of 
Teaching 212 

2.  The  First  Vision — The  Report  of  the  Angehc  Horse- 
men (I  :  8-17) 216 

3.  The  Second  Vision — The  Destroyers  of  the  Four 
Horns  (i  :  18-21)  .     .     .  ' 217 

4.  The  Third  Vision — A  Picture  of  Restored  Jerusa- 
lem (2) 218 

5.  The  Fourth  Vision — The  Vindication  of  the  Com- 
munity and  Re-establishment  of  the  Priesthood  and 
Nation  (3) 219 

6.  The  Fifth  Vision— The  Temple  Candlestick  and  its 
Sources  of  Supply  (4) 221 

7.  The  Sixth  Vision — The  Winged  Volume  (5  :  1-4)     ,  223 

8.  The  Seventh  Vision— The  Woman  within  the  Ephah 
(5:5-11) 223 

9.  The  Eighth  Vision— The  War-Chariots  of  Jehovah 

(6  :  1-8) 223 

VI.  The  Symbolic  Re-establishment  of  the  Hebrew 
Monarchy  (6  :  9-15) 

1.  The  Messianic  Hopes  Centring  Upon  the  Prince  of 
the  House  of  David 224 

2.  The  Crown  Prepared  for  the  Head  of  Zerubbabel 

(6  :  9-15)       226 

VII.  Zechariah's    Practical    Exhortation    and    En- 
couraging Promises  (7,  8) 

1.  The  Judean  Community  at  the  Close  of  518  B.  C.    .  227 

2.  The  Mistakes  of  the  Past  and  the  Glorious  Possibil- 
ities Awaiting  Jehovah's  People  (7,  8) 230 

xvi 


Contents 


PAGE 

ANONYMOUS  REFORM  SERMONS 

I.  Conditions  within  the  Judean  Community  Be- 
fore THE  Institution  of  the  Priestly  Law  of 
Ezra 237 

II.  The  Message  of  the  Book  of  Malachi 

1.  The  Date  and  Authorship  of  the  Prophecy       .     .     .  240 

2.  The  Evidence  of  Jehovah's  Love  and  his  People's 
Shameful  Ingratitude  (i  :  2  to  2  :  16) 244 

3.  The  Judgment  which  Jehovah  will  Speedily  Insti- 
tute (2  :  17  to  4  :  6) 249 

III.  Messages    of    Denunciation    and     Exhortation 
(Isaiah  56  to  59) 

1.  The  Date  and  Authorship  of  Isaiah  56  to  59    .     .     .  252 

2.  The  Selfishness  and  Incapacity  of  the  Leaders  of  the 
Community  (56  :  9  to  57  :  2) 255 

3.  The  Shameful  Heathen  Practices  of  the  Samaritans 

(57  :  3-13^) 256 

4.  False  and  True  Worship  (58  :  1-12) 257 

5.  The  Social  Crimes  of  the  Community  its  Undoing 

(59  :  1-15^) 258 

6.  Jehovah's  Impending  Judgment  {59  :  I5b-2i)  .     .     .  260 

7.  Promises  to  the  Faithful  (57  :  131^-21  ;  58  :  13,  14)     .  260 

8.  Promises  to  Proselytes  and  Eunuchs  {56  :  1-8)     .     .  262 

PROPHETIC   MESSAGES   OF   ENCOURAGEMENT 

IN   CONNECTION   WITH    THE    WORK   OF 

NEHEMIAH   AND    EZRA 

I.  The  Historical  Background  of  Isaiah  34;  35; 
60  :  I  to  63  :  6  ;  65  ;  66 

1.  The  Rebuilding  of  the  Walls  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
Institution  of  the  Priestly  Law 265 

2.  The  Date  of  the  Individual  Prophecies 272 

xvii 


Contents 


PAGE 


II.  The  Gospel   Proclamation   to  the  Jewish  Race 
(Isa.  60  to  62) 

1.  The  Song  of  Glorified  Zion  (60) 275 

2.  Jehovah's    Promise   of  Salvation    and    Restoration 

(61  :  62) 277 

III.  Vengeance  Upon  Their  Guilty  Foes  and  De- 
liverance AND  Honor  for  Jehovah's  People  (Isa. 
34  ;  35  :  65 ;  66) 

1.  The  Opposite  Fates  Awaiting  the  Samaritans  and 
Jews  (65  :  I  to  66  :  5,  17,  18^) 279 

2.  Jehovah's  Judgment  upon  ihe  Hostile  Nations  and 
Especially  upon  Edom  (63  :  1-6  ;  34) 281 

3.  The   Glorious  Era  to   Follow  Jehovah's  Judgment 
(35) 283 

4.  The  Establishment  of  Jehovah's  Universal  Kingdom 

(66  :  6-16,   i8b-24) 283 


THE   MESSAGE   OF  JOEL 

I.  The  Date  and  Theme  of  Joel's  Prophecy    .    .    .  289 

II.  The  Coming  of  the  Locusts  and  Jehovah's  Judg- 
ment (i  :  I  to  2  :  17) 

1,  The  Locust  Devastation  a  Summons   to  National 
Repentance  (i) 293 

2.  Only    Repentance   will   Avert    the   Terrors   of  Je- 
hovah's Day  (2  :  1-17) 296 

III.  The  Prosperity,  Inspiration  and  Deliverance 
from  Enemies  in  Store  for  Jehovah's  People 
(2  :  18  to  3  :  21) 

1.  The  Return  of  Prosperity  (2  :  18-27) 298 

2.  The  Inspiration  and  Deliverance  of  all  true  Israelites 

(2  :  28-32) 299 

3.  The  Judgment  of  the  Heathen  Nations  (3)      ...  300 

xviii 


Contents 


PAGE 

MESSAGES   OF   DOUBT  AND  HOPE  FROM  THE 
CLOSE  OF   THE   PERSIAN   PERIOD 

I.  The  Last  Half-century  of  Persian  Rule    .    .    .305 
II.  The  Literature  of  the  Period 308 

III.  The  Wails  and  Petitions  of  the  Distressed 
JuDEAN  Community  (IsA.  63  :  7  to  64  :  12) 

1.  Jehovah's  Past  Acts  of  Deliverance  {63  :  7-14)      .     .  310 

2.  A  Cry   for    Deliverance   from   Present   Calamities 
(63  :  15  to  64  :  12) 311 

IV.  The  Final  Judgment  and  the  Establishment  of 
Jehovah's  Kingdom  (Isa,  24  :  1-23  ;  25  :  6-8  ;  26  :  20 
to  27  :  13) 

1.  The  Overthrow  of  Existing  Conditions  (24  :  1-23)     .  313 

2.  The  Nature  of  Jehovah's  Universal  Rule  (25  :  6-8)   .  315 

3.  Jehovah's  Unceasing  Care  for  His  People  (26  :  20 

to  27  :  13) 316 

V.  Songs  of  Thanksgiving  to  Jehovah  (Isa.  25  :  1-5  ; 
25  :  9  to  26  :  19) 317 


MESSAGES   OF   PROMISE   TO  THE  JEWS   IN 
THE   GREEK   PERIOD 

The  Authorship  and  Historical  Background  of 
Zechariah  9-14 323 

,  The  Coming   of   Alexander   and  the   Prince  of 
Peace  (9) 

1.  The  Advance  of  the  Conqueror  (9  :  1-8)      ....  326 

2.  The  Conflict  with  the  Greeks  (9  :  13-17)       ....  327 

3.  The  Promised  Prince  of  Peace  (9  :  9-12)     ....  328 

xix 


Contents 


PAGE 

III.  The  Fortunes   of   the  Jews  under  their  Greek 
Masters  (10-13) 

1.  Jehovah's   Indignation   against  Their  Tyrants  and 
His  Restoration  of  His  People  (10) 328 

2.  The  Rejection  and  Murder  of  the   Good  Shepherd 

(II  :  4-X7  ;  13  :  7-9) 330 

3.  The  Certain    Deliverance  of  Imperilled  Jerusalem 

(12  :  I  to  13  :  6) 332 

IV.  The  Judgment  of  the  Heathen  and  Exaltation 

OF  Jerusalem  (14) 334 

THE    MESSAGE    OF    THE   BOOK   OF   JONAH 

I.  The  Date  of  the  Book  of  Jonah       339 

II.  The    Purpose   and   Method   of   the  Author  of 
THE  Book ,  .    .    .     .  341 

III.  The  Story  of  Jonah  and  its  Moral 

1.  The  Prophet's  Refusal  to  Proclaim  Jehovah's  Mes- 
sage to  the  Heathen  (i  :  1-3) 348 

2.  The  Discipline,  Conversion  and  Deliverance  of  Je- 
hovah's Rebellious  Messenger  (i  :  4  to  2  :  10)       .     .  349 

3.  The  Repentance  and  Pardon  of  the  Ninevites  (3)     .  352 

4.  The   Contemptible   Jealousy   of  his   Prophet  Con- 
trasted with  Jehovah's  Infinite  Compassion  (4)     .     .  353 

APPENDIX 
I.  The  Messianic  Element  in  Prophecy 357 

II.  The    Relation    Between  the  Messages  of    the 
Prophets  and  that  of  Jesus 367 

III.  Books  of  Reference 374 

Index  of  Biblical  Passages 381 

XX 


INTRODUCTION 


INTRODUCTION 


THE     CHARACTERISTICS    OF     EXILIC     AND     POST 
EXILIC    PROPHECY 

The  beginning  of  the  Babylonian  exile  marks  a  turn- 
ing point  in  both  Hebrew  prophecy  and  history.  The 
changed  conditions  and  the  new  point  of  view  gradually 
developed  a  new  type  of  prophet.  Although  the  dis- 
tinctions between  the  earlier  or  pre-exilic  and  the  later 
or  exilic  and  post-exilic  prophets  must  be  interpreted 
broadly,  they  are  clearly  defined.  The  aims  of  the  two 
groups  of  teachers  were  the  same,  but  the  earlier  spoke  to 
a  nation  and  dealt  with  the  problems  of  an  independent 
state,  while  the  latter  addressed  the  scattered,  discour- 
aged, often  oppressed  remnants  of  their  race.  For  a 
time  the  Jews  were  a  people  with  only  a  past  and  a  fu- 
ture ;  and,  during  all  the  period  represented  by  the  later 
prophets,  they  were  subject  to  foreign  masters,  so  that 
they  had  Httle  or  no  political  life  of  their  own.  Hence 
the  prophets  ceased  to  be  active  statesmen  who  de- 
3 


Introduction  Messages  of  the 

voted  much  of  their  time  and  thought,  as  did  Isaiah  and 
Jeremiah,  to  poUtical  questions.  Instead,  they  reviewed 
the  past  history  of  their  race  to  learn  the  lessons  which 
it  taught,  or  else  devoted  themselves  to  drawing  up,  as  did 
Ezekiel,  the  constitution  of  an  ideal  state. 

The  practical  problems  of  social  life,  also,  were  no  longer 
as  important  and  insistent  as  they  had  been  before  the 
exile,  so  that,  although  they  are  not  ignored,  they  are  only 
treated  incidentally.  In  the  writings  of  the  later  proph- 
ets— as  Professor  George  Adam  Smith  has  well  said — 
"political  and  social  righteousness  largely  gives  way  to 
divine  righteousness."  A  people  with  few  or  no  responsi- 
bilities could  not  by  them  be  taught  of  God.  Conse- 
quently great  social  teachers  like  Amos  and  IVIicah  found 
few  successors  in  the  later  period. 

The  prophets  also  began  to  study  intently  the  writings 
of  their  predecessors  and  to  draw  from  them  most  of 
their  conceptions  of  Jehovah,  so  that  they  brought  to  their 
race  no  startlingly  new  theological  ideas,  as  did  Amos 
and  Hosea. 

If  the  later  prophets  were  not  great  statesmen  nor 
social  teachers  nor  original  theologians,  they  were  true  to 
the  prophetic  ideal,  and  devoted  themselves  to  the  vital 
questions  of  their  age.  In  so  doing  they  attained  their 
real  greatness,  and  performed  for  their  race  and  mankind 
an  mestimable  service. 

When  the  Hebrew  state  fell  in  ruins,  the  prophets 
4 


Later  Prophets  Introduction 

turned  from  the  nation  to  the  individual.  Hitherto  they 
had  addressed  him  only  as  an  integral  part  of  the  com- 
monwealth ;  henceforth  he  possessed  an  importance  in 
himself,  apart  from  the  community  to  which  he  belonged. 
Thus  the  very  circumstances  which  limited  the  activity  of 
the  prophets  opened  to  them  an  unlimited  field,  which  only 
the  great  prophet  of  Nazareth  fully  occupied.  The  daily 
interests  and  achievements  of  the  people  whom  they  ad- 
dressed were  personal,  not  national.  If  they  were  to  meet 
the  practical  needs  of  their  contemporaries  they  were 
obliged  to  a  certain  extent  to  turn  pastors,  and  to  deal 
more  with  religious  and  ethical  than  with  political  and 
social  questions.  In  so  doing  they  touched  the  hearts  of  the 
masses  more  closely  than  did  the  earlier  prophets.  They 
were  also  more  intimately  acquainted  with  the  interests 
and  problems  of  the  individual.  Consequently,  like  the 
sages  and  psalmists,  they  speak  more  directly  to  the  heart 
of  mankind,  and  their  messages  have  an  obvious  and  per- 
ennial application  independently  of  their  historical  setting. 
Since  the  life  of  Judaism  constantly  centred  more  and 
more  about  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  and  its  ritual,  the  later 
prophets,  instead  of  denouncing  mere  ceremonialism  as 
meaningless,  as  did  the  earlier,  held  up  the  hands  of  the 
priests.  They  devoted  much  of  their  attention  to  em- 
phasizing the  importance  of  the  temple  and  its  service. 
In  this  they  were  doubtless  influenced  by  the  irresistible 
tendency  of  their  age.     They  also  recognized  that  condi- 

5 


Introduction  Messages  of  the 

tions  had  radically  changed  since  the  days  of  Amos  and 
Isaiah,  and  that  a  ritualistic  type  of  religion  was  essential 
to  the  preservation  of  the  integrity  and  faith  of  their  race 
amid  the  terrible  trials  and  temptations  to  which  it  was 
being  subjected. 

Sacerdotalism  and  legalism  also  supplied  more  and 
more  the  religious  needs  of  the  people,  so  that  the  de- 
mand for  the  work  of  the  prophets  became  less  and  less. 
In  the  law  the  teachings  and  principles  presented  by  the 
earlier  prophets  were  preserved  and  enforced  upon  the 
minds  of  the  people  in  a  form  which  even  the  most  obtuse 
could  appreciate.  Before  the  exile  that  process  had  be- 
gun, and  at  the  great  reformation  of  Josiah  the  Book  of 
Deuteronomy  was  publicly  adopted  as  the  law  book  of 
the  nation.  This  continued  to  be  the  constitution  of  the 
community  in  Palestine  until  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  intro- 
duced at  the  great  assembly  a  still  more  detailed  and  ex- 
panded code.  Until  that  time,  questions  not  settled  by 
the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  were  referred,  in  accordance 
with  its  injunctions,  not  to  the  prophets,  but  to  the  priests, 
for  an  authoritative  decision  (Hag.  2:11-13;  Mai.  2:7). 

Although  the  prophetic  order  continued  to  exist,  and 
apparently  to  count  a  considerable  number  of  prophets 
and  prophetesses  among  its  ranks  (Ezra  5:1;  Neh.  6:12, 
14;  Zech.  7:3;  13:4),  it  no  longer  enjoyed  the  pres- 
tige of  earlier  times.  The  prophets  were  ever  conscious 
of  the  sceptical  attitude  of  their  hearers  and  recognized 
6 


Later  Prophets  Introduction 

that  their  predictions  would  not  be  fully  believed  until 
they  had  been  at  least  partially  fulfilled  (compare  for 
example  Zech.  2:11*';  4:9'';  6:15'').  To  the  pernicious 
influence  of  the  false  prophets,  who  in  the  name  of 
Jehovah  had  often  misled  the  people,  undoubtedly  is 
largely  due  the  destruction  of  the  old  popular  confidence 
in  the  word  of  the  man  of  God. 

No  prophetic  bishops  appear,  like  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah, 
to  have  maintained  for  a  long  period  over  the  community 
a  growing  influence.  The  personalities  of  the  later 
prophets  were  also  less  prominent  and  distinct.  The 
names  of  only  five  or  six  of  them  have  been  preserved. 
Of  the  private  life  of  the  prophets  we  know  practically 
nothing.  Ezekiel  alone  gives  us  a  few  details  respecting 
himself. 

The  date  of  a  large  part  of  the  prophecies  can  be  deter- 
mined only  by  a  study  of  the  internal  evidence.  They 
represent  bursts  of  prophetic  eloquence  evoked  by  great 
crises  or  problems.  After  their  messages  had  been  sent 
forth,  the  prophets  quickly  retired  to  the  seclusion  of 
private  life.  In  all  probability  many  of  the  prophecies 
were  originally  issued  anonymously.  A  large  proportion 
of  them  are  clearly  the  product  of  study  rather  than  the 
spontaneous  expressions  of  the  public  orator.  Haggai 
alone  is  an  exception.  The  simple  directness  of  his  ser- 
mons is  in  striking  contrast  to  the  carefully  developed, 
elaborate  style  of  most  of  the  later  prophetic  writings. 
7 


Introduction  Messages  of  the 

The  weird  apocalyptic  symbolism  which  in  general  charac- 
terized the  exilic  and  post-exilic  prophecies  is  evidence 
that  their  authors  had  ample  time  to  develop  the  form  as 
well  as  the  content  of  their  messages. 

The  fact  that  they  were  anonymous  undoubtedly  explains 
why  later  editors  appended  them  to  older  prophecies,  in 
the  language  or  thought  of  which  they  detected  certain 
points  of  likeness.  The  same  tendency  that  led  them  to 
associate  the  entire  proverbial  literature  with  the  name  of 
Solomon  (Prov.  i  :  i)  influenced  them  to  join  many  of  these 
anonymous  fragments  to  the  original  sermons  of  Isaiah, 
the  prince  of  prophets. 

The  task  of  assigning  the  different  sections  of  such 
a  book  as  that  which  bears  the  name  of  Isaiah  to  their 
original  historical  setting  is  difficult ;  but  the  resulting 
gain  in  vividness,  clearness,  and  reality  abundantly  re- 
wards the  trouble.  Then  the  historical  allusions  which 
the  different  prophecies  contain  contribute,  not  to  the  con- 
fusion, but  to  the  lucid  interpretation  of  their  meaning. 
They  also  in  turn  throw  much  light  upon  the  development 
of  that  life  and  thought  which  was  the  background  of  the 
New  Testament. 

The  writings  of  the  later  prophets  group  themselves 
about  certain  critical  epochs  in  the  history  of  their  race, 
such  as  the  beginning  and  the  close  of  the  Babylonian 
exile,  the  rebuilding  of  the  temple,  and  the  reforms  of 
Nehemiah  and  Ezra,  with  long  intervening  periods  of 
8 


Later  Prophets  Introduction 

silence.  Although  the  names  of  only  five  or  six  prophets 
are  known,  the  work  of  at  least  twelve  can  be  dis- 
tinguished. The  impartation  of  their  divinely  given  mes- 
sage, not  the  enhancing  their  own  fame,  was  their  first  and 
sole  aim.  The  names  of  the  earlier  prophets  were  pre- 
served because  the  performance  of  their  mission  brought 
them  prominently  into  public  life  and  their  acts  and  words 
became  a  part  of  their  nation's  history.  The  later  proph- 
ets spoke  more  privately  to  their  race.  Fortunately  men 
preserved  the  message  long  after  the  man  who  delivered 
it  had  been  forgotten.  The  history  of  exilic  and  post- 
exilic  prophecy  emphasizes  the  great  fact  that  it  is  ac- 
quaintance with  the  truth  itself,  not  with  the  one  who 
imparts  it,  that  is  essential. 

The  later  prophecies  are  more  general  and  contain  less 
local  and  nationalistic  elements  than  do  the  earlier.  The 
experiences  of  the  exile  also  forced  the  prophets  to  rec- 
ognize the  existence  of  other  nations  as  a  part  of  Je- 
hovah's creation  and  as  objects  of  his  love.  Gradually 
the  missionary  ideal  found  expression  in  their  writings, 
and  there  rose  before  their  enlightened  vision  the  outlines 
of  a  universal  kingdom  in  which  all  nations  were  to  join 
in  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  In  the  moments  of  their 
darkest  distress  this  vision  cheered  and  inspired  them. 
The  realization  that  their  race  was  to  be  herald  of  that 
kingdom  impelled  them  to  spare  no  effort  to  prepare  their 
countrymen  for  the  exalted  service. 

9 


Introduction  Messages  of  the 

Saddened  and  discouraged  by  the  sins  of  mankind,  they 
frequently  proclaimed  the  necessity  of  a  great  world-judg- 
ment, in  which  the  wicked  would  be  condemned  and  the 
righteous  vindicated.  As  they  recognized  the  pitiable 
weakness  and  incapacity  of  the  living  representatives  of 
the  chosen  people,  they  did  not  lose  hope  in  the  coming 
kingdom  of  God  on  earth;  but  they  looked  more  and 
more  for  its  realization  through  supernatural  intervention. 
Thus  the  prophetic  horizon  was  extended  far  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  Palestine,  of  the  ancient  Semitic  world,  and 
of  the  earth  itself.  Dimly  certain  prophets  also  began  to 
see  the  kingdom,  not  of  flesh,  but  of  spirit,  which  lay  be- 
yond the  gates  of  death. 

By  their  broad  outlook,  by  their  regard  for  the  in- 
dividual, by  their  lofty  ideal  of  service,  by  their  universal- 
ism,  and  by  their  firm  belief  that  Jehovah  would  surely  es- 
tablish his  kingdom  on  earth,  the  later  prophets  com- 
pleted the  otherwise  incomplete  work  of  the  earlier. 
Their  messages  are  all  the  more  precious  and  luminous 
because  they  come  from  the  night  of  their  nation's  hu- 
miliation and  distress,  and  voice  mankind's  inspired  faith, 
not  in  the  seen,  but  in  the  unseen. 


lO 


Later  Prophets  Introduction 


II 

THE    DECADE    BEFORE    THE     FINAL    FALL     OF    JERU- 
SALEM   AND    ITS    TWO    GREAT    PROPHETS 

The  year  597  B.  C.  was  of  great  significance  to  the 
Hebrew  people  politically  and  religiously.     The  obstinate, 
unreasoning  confidence  of  his  people  Israel  in  Jehovah's 
protection  which  had  blinded  the  eyes  of  the  majority  in 
Judah  to  the  ruin  toward  which  the  state  was  drifting,  and 
made  them  deaf  to  the  earnest  appeals  of  Jeremiah,  began 
to  be  shaken,  when  the  flower  of  the  nation  was  trans- 
ported  to   Babylon.     Instead   despair  and  a  passionate 
desire  to  see  the  vengeance  of  God  upon  their  bold,  even 
contemptuous,  oppressors  took  possession  of  their  minds. 
The  times  seemed  to  them  to  be  completely  out  of  joint 
and  Jehovah  the  one  at  fault.     They  failed  to  realize  that 
their  misfortunes  were  wholly  due  to  their  own  short- 
sightedness, disloyalty,  and  corruption,  and  that  nothing 
but  a  thorough-going  national  reformation  could  restore 
them  to  divine  favor.     They  counted  themselves  rather 
the  victims  of  adverse  political  and  religious  conditions. 
They  considered  their  triumphant  restoration  to  Judah 
the  only  possible  way  in  which  Jehovah's  character  could 
be  vindicated  and  their  own  great  wrongs  righted. 

The  prospect  of  an  immediate  deliverance,  however,  was 
II 


Introduction  Messages  of  the 

anything  but  bright.  They  were  completely  and  help- 
lessly in  the  power  of  Nebuchadrezzar,  because  of  the  in- 
sensate folly  and  perversity  of  their  late  King  Jehoiakim 
and  his  nobles.  Placed  on  the  throne  of  Judah  about 
608  B.  C.  by  Pharaoh  Necho,  he  became,  by  virtue  of  the 
crushing  defeat  which  that  sovereign  suffered  at  the  hands 
of  Nebuchadrezzar  two  years  later,  a  vassal  of  the  Baby- 
lonian king.  Under  Jehoiakim's  sway  the  kingdom  of 
Judah  became  a  nursery  of  insurrection  and  corruption. 
The  young  king  was  thoroughly  selfish  and  incompetent. 
He  dreamed  of  impossibilities  ;  he  was  impatient  of  criti- 
cism ;  he  was  superstitious  and  vain.  Swayed  completely 
by  his  likeminded  counsellors  and  resisting  the  disinter- 
ested warnings  of  Jeremiah,  he  trusted  the  promises  of 
the  king  of  Egypt  and  revolted  from  Nebuchadrezzar. 
Such  an  open  defiance  of  his  power  could  not  be  over- 
looked by  one  who  aimed  at  the  absolute  sway  of  the 
western  world.  The  great  king  in  597  B.  C.  marched 
westward  to  subdue  his  rebellious  vassal.  Before  his 
army  had  effected  the  capture  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem 
King  Jehoiakim  died,  thus  escaping  the  bitter  consequences 
of  his  blunder.  These  were  inevitable.  In  accord  with 
the  military  policy  of  the  Assyrians  and  Babylonians, 
Nebuchadrezzar  not  only  took  due  vengeance  upon  the 
rebellious  people  and  their  leaders,  but  also  made  another 
formidable  rebellion  impossible  by  removing  those  who 
would  naturally  instigate  and  give  it  strength.  As  soon 
12 


Later  Prophets  Introduction 

as  the  hapless  young  King  Jehoialcin,  three  months  a 
nominal  sovereign,  was  forced  to  surrender,  he,  his  at- 
tendants, officials,  warriors,  and  thousands  of  his  sub- 
stantial subjects,  among  others  the  young  priest  Ezekiel 
and  probably  the  youthful  Daniel,  were  transported  to 
Babylonia.  The  king  was  placed  in  confinement ;  a  few 
were  drafted  into  the  service  of  the  great  king  ;  the  great 
majority  were  settled  by  themselves,  not  far  from  the  city 
of  Babylon.  Here  they  were  free,  apparently,  to  live,  un- 
disturbed, a  community-life  of  their  own,  to  engage  in 
industrial  occupations,  and  to  make  the  most  of  their  op- 
portunities. They  even  held  intercourse  with  those  who 
were  left  behind  in  Judah,  but  any  word  or  act  which 
tended  to  arouse  discontent  among  those  at  home  was 
sure  to  incur  severe  punishment. 

In  Judah  Nebuchadrezzar  had  appointed  Zedekiah, 
another  prince  of  the  royal  Davidic  house,  to  the  throne, 
and  had  left  the  kingdom  once  more  to  itself,  content  with 
having  crippled  its  power  for  mischief. 

For  the  remaining  decade  of  Judah's  history  its  people 
were  living  in  these  two  widely  separated  and  contrasting 
communities.  The  Jews  in  Babylon  represented  the 
strongest  elements  of  the  race  and  were  compared  by 
the  prophet  Jeremiah  to  good  figs  fit  for  use  (Jer.  24).  On 
them  he  based  all  his  hopes  for  the  future.  The  people 
left  in  Judah  he  likened  to  rotten  figs,  fit  only  for  destruc- 
tion.    Well  might  he  despair  of  them,  for  they  gave  little 

13 


Introduction  Messages  of  the 

heed  to  his  warnings  and  subjected  him  to  constant  per- 
secution. They  had  no  desire  to  confess,  much  less  to 
repent  of  their  evil  ways,  but  defiantly  persisted  in  the 
idolatry  which  he  denounced. 

The  heart  and  hopes  of  Jeremiah  were  with  the  other 
portion  of  the  nation,  far  away  beyond  the  trackless 
desert.  He  saw  that  the  real  future  of  his  nation  must 
be  achieved  through  them.  He  counselled  patience  and 
submission,  urging  them  to  settle  down  in  quiet  and  to 
pursue  their  normal  life  (Jer.  29),  asserting  that  the  exile 
would  continue  at  least  more  than  a  generation  (29  :  10). 
That  his  words  were  read  with  respect  is  indicated  by  the 
indignant  protest  of  Shemaiah,  a  man  of  standing  among 
the  exiles,  who  wrote  to  Jerusalem  (Jer.  29)  urging  that 
his  action  be  rebuked  by  the  ecclesiastical  authorities  in 
Judah. 

But  God  had  raised  up  for  these  lonely  and  homesick 
exiles — unhappy  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  impatient  under 
the  slight  restrictions  laid  upon  them,  haunted  by  the 
hateful  thought  that  they  dwelt  in  an  unclean  land — a 
faithful  shepherd  in  the  person  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel. 
He  was  one  of  themselves,  dwelling  in  their  midst,  shar- 
ing their  experiences,  entering  into  their  needs.  It  was 
he  who  held  them  together,  kept  alive  a  spirit  of  hope, 
fought  their  idolatrous  tendencies  and  taught  them  broader 
views  of  the  purposes  and  methods  of  Jehovah.  During 
the  decade  between  the  first  captivity  and  the  destruction 


Later  PropJicts  Introduction 

of  Jerusalem,  however,  his  most  prominent  task  was  to 
throw  a  clear  light  upon  the  attitude  of  Jehovah  toward 
Israel  and  to  assert  the  absolute  certainty  of  the  down- 
fall of  the  city  and  state. 

For  some  years  Ezekiel  uttered  no  word  of  which  we 
have  record.  So  far  as  we  know,  his  ministry  began  in 
592  B.  C,  five  years  after  the  deportation  itself.  For  the 
latter  half  of  the  decade  he  labored  earnestly  to  prepare 
his  fellow-captives  to  understand  the  approaching  catas- 
trophe. They  still  believed  that  the  holy  city  was  in- 
violable, for  there  was  located  Jehovah's  holy  temple, 
which  he  could  not  allow  to  be  destroyed.  Hence  Eze- 
kiel's  God-given  task  was  to  set  in  a  clearer  light  the 
true  character  of  the  city  and  land,  to  indicate  that,  be- 
cause of  the  sins  of  the  inhabitants,  Jehovah  had  aban- 
doned his  once-loved  sanctuary,  and  to  predict  in  unmis- 
takable ways  the  speedy  end  of  city,  state,  and  temple. 
Every  such  plain  utterance,  unpalatable  though  it  was, 
helped  to  save  some  Judean  patriots  from  despair  and  in- 
fidelity when  the  crushing  blow  descended.  It  helped 
them  to  understand  the  great  principles  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  more  clearly,  and  thus — even  at  the  period  when 
the  true  prophets  had  only  denunciations  and  warnings 
for  their  hearers— prepared  them  to  appreciate  the  future 
work  of  Israel  among  the  nations. 


15 


EZEKIEL,  THE  PRIEST-PROPHET  OF 
THE  EXILES 


EZEKIEL,    THE    PRIEST-PROPHET    OF 
THE  EXILES 


THE    PROPHET    AND    HIS    PROPHECIES 

A  recent  writer  has  said  that  the  prophet  Ezekiel  has 
"  the  most  interesting  personality  in  the  great  group  of 
prophets."  He  certainly  deserves  the  place  among  the 
prophets  of  highest  rank  which  has  been  given  him.  Yet 
this  is  not  due  to  our  intimate  knowledge  of  his  personal 
history.  As  in  the  case  of  his  predecessors,  Isaiah  and 
Jeremiah,  we  do  not  know  the  circumstances  of  his  early 
career  nor  of  his  death  ;  it  is  from  the  events  and  utter- 
ances of  his  active  life  that  we  must  form  our  conception 
of  the  man. 

His  ministry  opened  in  the  fifth  year  of  Jehoiakin's 
exile  (592-3)  and  continued  over  twenty  years,  until  the 
middle  of  the  period  of  captivity.  He  describes  himself 
as  the  son  of  Buzi  (i  :3)  and  a  member  of  the  aristocratic 
priestly  caste  in  Judah.  According  to  Josephus  he  was 
carried  away  from  the  home-land  while  only  a  youth ;  but 

19 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

many  incidental  facts  indicate  that  this  was  mere  conject- 
ure on  the  part  of  the  Jewish  historian.  The  elders  in  the 
Babylonian  community  came  to  him  at  his  own  house  for 
counsel;  he  even  refers  to  the  period  of  youth  (4:  14)  as 
somewhat  distant.  Adding  to  these  the  indications  of 
broad  culture  and  of  a  careful  mastery  of  civil  and  ritual 
law  and  of  the  historical  and  prophetic  writings  of  his 
people,  we  are  led  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  a  man  of 
considerable  maturity,  and  that  it  was  partially  for  that 
reason  that  his  words  carried  great  weight  in  the  exiled 
society. 

In  one  important  characteristic  Ezekiel  was  more 
prophet  than  priest;  he  was  a  growing  man,  a  student  of 
life  as  it  unfolded  before  him.  His  published  sermons  are 
a  rich  storehouse  of  the  ideas  of  the  age — geographical, 
historical,  legal,  ethical,  and  religious.  He  even  learned 
much  from  his  Babylonian  surroundings  of  which  he 
made  use  in  planning  for  the  future  development  of  his 
own  people.  In  many  ways,  however,  he  differed  from 
the  prophets  who  preceded  him.  During  the  first  five 
years  of  his  ministry  he  seems,  at  first  glance,  to  direct  his 
gaze  almost  wholly  toward  his  native  land  and  its  ap- 
proaching fate,  ignoring  the  community  of  which  he 
was  a  part,  and  failing  to  exercise  the  leadership  charac- 
teristic of  the  true  prophet.  But  we  note,  on  closer  in- 
spection, that  he  was  a  prophet  in  order  that  he  might  be 
a  pastor.  His  declarations  regarding  guilty  Israel  were 
20 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

intended  to  affect  the  thought  and  the  action  of  his  own 
community  even  more  than  of  the  men  of  Judah.  His 
faithful  presentations  of  God's  attitude  toward  Israel  was 
the  true  enlightening  cause  of  the  passive  submission  of 
the  exiles  to  their  lot  and  of  their  gradual  participation  in 
the  opportunities  afforded  by  Babylonia. 

Ezekiel's  early  training  as  a  member  of  the  order  of 
the  priesthood  is  indicated,  not  only  by  the  breadth  of  his 
culture  and  by  his  personal  refinement,  but  also  by  his  re- 
spect for  priests  as  a  class  in  the  community  and  particu- 
larly by  the  prominent  place  which  he  assigns  to  them 
in  the  future  development  of  his  nation  (Ezek.  44).  ,  His 
training  also  suggests  the  reason  why  he  promptly  recog- 
nized the  necessity  of  a  more  exact  and  far-reaching  legal 
organization  of  the  future  state  which  was  so  well  wrought 
out  by  him  in  the  closing  chapters  of  the  book.  Hence 
in  many  ways  he  was  rarely  fitted  for  the  much-needed 
task  of  anchoring  the  old  ethical  standards  by  new  ritual 
requirements. 

The  strength  and  depth  of  Ezekiel's  nature  are  best  re- 
vealed, however,  by  a  detailed  study  of  his  writings. 
While  his  wide  acquaintance  with  the  earlier  prophets  and 
his  particular  indebtedness  to  his  immediate  predecessor 
and  teacher  Jeremiah  are  very  apparent,  he  was  his  own 
master  in  every  way.  There  is  a  distinct  individuality  in 
his  methods  as  well  as  in  his  words.  When  he  sought  to 
make  a  deep  impression  upon  his  neighbors,  his  messages 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

of  judgment  against  guilty  Israel  were  often  prefaced  and 
supported  by  acted  parables  of  the  most  impressive  sort 
(4 ;  5  ;  12).  His  surveys  of  past  history  were  effectively 
presented  in  elaborate  allegories,  which  could  not  be  for- 
gotten. His  hopes  for  the  future  took  the  form  of  strik- 
ing visions  (37-48),  which  served  as  standing  texts  for 
stirring  descriptions  of  the  life  that  was  to  be. 

The  book  of  Ezekiel  is  readily  divided  into  two  great 
sections,  the  first  twenty-four  chapters  being  devoted  to 
the  teachings  and  actions  of  the  prophet  prior  to  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem.  These  two  divisions  of  the 
book  have  been  happily  characterized  as  respectively  de- 
structive and  constructive.  In  the  latter  half  of  the  book 
a  threefold  arrangement  is  noticeable:  chapters  25-32, 
a  collection  of  predictions  against  various  nations ; 
chapters  33-39,  a  collection  of  comforting  messages  to 
Ezekiel's  fellow  exiles ;  and  chapters  40-48,  the  vision  of 
the  reconstructed  city  and  sanctuary.  This  regularity  of 
arrangement  exhibits  the  elaboration,  symmetry,  and  ar- 
tistic character  of  the  book  as  a  whole.  The  arrange- 
ment, as  in  the  case  of  other  prophetic  collections,  appears 
to  have  been  made  primarily  on  a  topical  rather  than 
chronological  basis.  This  is  particularly  obvious  in  the 
last  half  of  the  book.  In  general,  however,  the  order  is 
also  that  of  original  production.  The  prophetic  book  of 
Ezekiel  has,  without  much  doubt,  come  down  to  us  sub- 
stantially as  Ezekiel  or  some  one  of  his  disciples  arranged 
22 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

it.  Its  literary  defects,  no  less  than  its  merits,  are  of 
a  kind  which  a  man  of  priestly  training  would  produce. 
The  style,  though  stately  and  polished,  is  often  prosaic 
and  full  of  mannerisms.  Ezekiel  has  no  such  poetic 
soul  as  Isaiah,  although  he  makes  frequent  use  of  figures 
of  speech  (15;  19;  26,  etc.),  is  fond  of  plays  upon  words, 
and  revels  in  imagery  of  every  description.  There  is, 
nevertheless,  an  element  of  formalism  in  the  prophet's  at- 
titude which  is  fatal  to  the  choicest  lyric  productiveness. 
The  book  of  Ezekiel  is  to  be  judged,  not  by  its  artistic  ar- 
rangement, nor  by  its  beauty  of  detail,  but  by  its  breadth 
of  outlook,  by  its  grasp  of  the  true  relation  between  the 
divine  and  the  human,  by  its  presentation  of  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  future  to  his  disheartened  countrymen,  and 
by  its  inspiring  assurances  that  the  times,  far  from  being 
out  of  joint,  were  being  directed  by  Jehovah,  and  that  the 
Jewish  race,  by  its  very  misfortunes,  was  making  progress 
toward  the  goal  ever  present  to  the  divine  mind. 

II 

THE    IMAGINATIVE     ELEMENT    IN    EZEKIEL*S 
PROPHESYING 

A  very  characteristic  element  in  the  predictions  of  Eze- 
kiel is  his  free  but  careful  use  of  imagery  and  symbolism. 
Both  are  employed  by  other  prophets.     Abijah,  for  ex- 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

ample,  gives  point  to  his  assertion  that  Jeroboam  had  been 
chosen  to  lead  the  revolt  of  the  northern  kingdom  by 
rending  his  new  mantle  into  twelve  pieces,  ten  of  which 
he  gave  to  the  incredulous  overseer  (i  Kgs.  ii).  Isaiah, 
by  walking  thinly  clad  and  barefoot  (Isa.  20),  made  a 
vivid  prediction  of  the  threatened  captivity  of  Judah. 
When  Jeremiah  wished  to  impress  upon  his  sceptical  au- 
dience the  destruction  which  Jehovah  was  about  to  visit 
upon  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  he  dashed  an  earthen  jar  to 
fragments  in  their  presence.  By  such  actions  these  in- 
comparable preachers  enforced  their  messages.  Teach- 
ing by  symbols  not  only  insured  the  attention  of  their 
hearers  and  added  to  the  impressiveness  of  their  words, 
but  often  conveyed  an  idea  the  open  expression  of  which 
might  have  been  dangerous  or  inexpedient.  Even  more 
constantly  do  the  prophets  make  use  of  various  forms  of 
imagery  to  illumine  and  beautify  their  addresses.  Isaiah's 
parable  which  likened  Judah  to  an  unfruitful  vineyard  (5), 
or  Micah's  bold  series  of  paronomasias  (i  :  10-15),  by 
which  he  announced  the  approach  of  danger,  illustrate  in 
strikingly  different  ways  this  tendency.  All  other  proph- 
ets, however,  are  surpassed  by  Ezekiel  in  the  use  of  fig- 
urative language.  He  rarely  puts  forward  an  idea  with- 
out some  embellishment.  Sometimes  he  proposes  a  riddle 
to  his  hearers  (17),  or  utters  a  parable  which  he  also  il- 
lustrates by  a  symbolic  action  (24),  or  he  unfolds  an  elab- 
orate allegory  (16),  in  each  case  making  the  figure  of 
24 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

speech  a  mere  means  to  the  end  of  expressing  his  mes- 
sage more  effectively.  But  he  stands  peculiar  in  his  re- 
markable use  of  symbolism,  especially  of  the  vision,  which 
is  a  higher  form  of  the  same  mental  tendency.  He  passes 
readily  from  the  simpler  forms  of  symbolism,  like  the  met- 
aphor, the  parable,  and  some  form  of  objective  action,  to 
the  most  complex,  such  as  the  allegory  and  the  vision. 

Ezekiel's  visions  appear  to  be  carefully  worked-out  prod- 
ucts of  his  own  creative  imagination.  This  is  one  dif- 
ference between  the  inaugural  vision  of  Isaiah  and  that  of 
Ezekiel.  Isaiah  conveys  effectively  his  sense  of  the 
majesty  and  holiness  of  Jehovah,  but  furnishes  little  else, 
while  Ezekiel  describes  with  minuteness  of  detail  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  Divine.  Isaiah,  in  connection  with  his 
prophetic  activity,  makes  no  further  reference  to  his  one 
vision,  but  Ezekiel  repeatedly  describes  the  divine  glory 
in  this  form.  Thus,  whatever  may  have  been  the  object- 
ive impression  made  upon  Ezekiel  at  the  time  of  his  call 
and  at  other  times,  he  seems  to  have  leisurely  thought  out 
and  expressed  in  literary  form  what  seemed  to  him  an 
adequate  description  of  the  details  of  the  vision.  Hence 
Ezekiel's  use  of  the  vision  in  prophecy  is  intended  to  be 
significant.  Every  detail  must  be  scrutinized  for  its  mean- 
ing. 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  the  probable  sources  of  the  de- 
tails which  enter  into  such  a  composite  vision  as,  for  ex- 
ample, that  of  the  first  chapter  of  his  prophecy.  It  is  a 
25 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

vision  of  God.  The  cherubim,  wheels,  arch,  and  throne 
are  mere  accessories.  Some  of  them  are  furnished,  no 
doubt,  by  the  current  symbolism  of  Hebrew  poetry  (Isa. 
19:  I ;  Ps.  18:  9,  10).  Others  seem  to  be  an  elaboration 
of  details  already  employed  by  Isaiah  in  his  inaugural 
vision.  Some  were  probably  suggested  by  the  symbolism 
of  Babylonian  temples  and  palaces.  Ezekiel  freely  used 
suggestions  from  every  available  source. 

So  clear  is  the  literary  stamp  upon  the  prophecies  of 
Ezekiel  that  it  is  often  difficult  to  determine  what  the 
prophet  actually  did  or  saw.  Did  he  really  lie  for  months 
upon  his  left  side  to  represent  the  duration  of  the  captiv- 
ity of  the  northern  kingdom  (4)  ?  Was  it,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  mere  parable,  not  acted  at  all  ?  Did  he,  on  an- 
other occasion,  remove  all  the  hair  of  his  head  and  face 
(5),  and  dispose  of  it  by  burning  and  in  the  other  ways 
prescribed  ?  It  is  possible,  as  Professor  Moulton  suggests, 
that  the  real  action  was  very  slight,  serving  as  an  intro- 
duction and  illustration  of  the  discourse  that  followed. 
Yet  we  may  deem  it  probable  that  the  prophet,  for  many 
years,  acted  as  well  as  proclaimed  his  message,  even  sym- 
bolizing in  various  ways  the  great  thoughts  uppermost  in 
his  mind. 

The  finest  example  of  a  detailed  vision,  never  meant  to 

be  understood  as  other  than  ideal,  is  found  in  the  closing 

chapters  of  his  book.     The  prophet  fitly  crowns  his  work 

of  consoling  and  cheering  the  discouraged  exiles  and  his 

26 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

additional  task  of  creating  a  new  social  and  religious  sys- 
tem by  formulating  what  is  at  once  a  bold  and  brilliant 
prediction  of  a  return  to  Judah  and  of  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  state  and  a  notable  scheme  of  organization. 
This  vision  is  a  masterpiece  of  literary  skill  and  of  imag- 
inative power  and  yet  affords  clear  evidence  of  being  some- 
thing more. 

No  careful  reader  can  fail  to  appreciate  the  force  of 
Ezekiel's  frequent  declaration  that  Jehovah  spoke  to  and 
through  him,  when  he  realizes  that  through  these  seem- 
ingly prosaic  details  of  organization  the  prophet  formu- 
lated a  working  ideal  of  religious  and  social  life  for  the 
generations  yet  unborn.  Ezekiel  was  an  exceedingly 
important  factor  in  influencing  his  people  to  adopt  the  new 
religious  point  of  view,  which  developed  in  course  of  time 
into  Judaistic  legalism.  For  the  last  results  of  this  devel- 
opment he  is  not  responsible  ;  its  helpful  and  useful  feat- 
ures he  strongly  advocated. 

The  prophet  Ezekiel  is  thus  a  connecting  link  between 
the  old  and  the  new.  He  loved  and  understood  his  nation, 
but  as  a  close  student  of  her  history  he  saw  that  her  work 
under  the  old  forms  was  done.  The  exile  he  looked  on  as 
a  period  of  transition,  a  time  of  preparation  for  the  larger 
future  of  which  he  was  fully  confident.  He  believed  that 
Jehovah  had  revealed  to  him  what  the  proper  development 
of  that  future  should  be,  in  order  to  realize  the  unchang- 
ing plans  of  God,  and  he  gave  himself  wholly  to  its  ex- 
27 


Ezekiel  i :  i  Messages  of  the 

prcssion.     No  prophet  had  a  greater  task ;  none  fulfilled  it 
with  greater  fidelity  and  success. 


Ill 

THE  prophet's  CALL  AND  COMMISSION  (l  :  I  tO  3  :  2 1) 
I.    The  Vision  of  the  Divine  Presence  (i  :  1-28) 

The  time  It  was  the  fifth  year  of  the  sorrowful  exile  of  Jehoiakin 

The^pfiph^ef s  ^^^^  his  people  in  far-off  Babylonia,  when  I  was  dwelling 
call  (1:1-3)  jj^  {.j^g  Hebrew  settlement  on  the  banks  of  the  stream 

known  as  the  Chebar\  that  Jehovah  revealed  himself  to 
The  fiery  "^^  ^"^  Called  me  to  be  his  prophet.  I  seemed  to  see  a 
storm-cloud  great  cloud  approaching  swiftly  from  the  north,  driven  by 
north,  a  furious  wind.     A  luminous  splendor,  which  was  pro- 

abode  V^  4)  duced  by  an  inward  fire  that  glowed  with  the  brilliance  of 

polished  metal,  surrounded  the  cloud.  As  I  gazed  I  saw 
The  four  liv-  withiu  it  the  forms  of  four  creatures.  Each  had  four  faces, 
whicTb^up-^^  that  of  a  man  in  front,  of  a  lion  on  the  right,  of  a  bull  on 
port  and       the  left,  and  of  an  eagle  behind.     Each  had  four  wings, 

guard  his  1  1         1  • 

throne  two  being  extended  above  the  heads,  the  tips  touching 

those  of  its  neighbors  on  either  side,  while  the  other  two 
covered  the  body.  Their  limbs,  which  glistened  like  bur- 
nished brass,  were  straight  and  jointless,  their  feet  shaped 

>  A  canal  in  the  vicinity  of  Nippur,  running  west  toward  Babylon,  men 
tioned  in  the  cuneiform  tablets  recently  discovered  by  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  expedition. 

28 


(1:5-14) 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  2  : 2 

like  the  hoofs  of  a  calf.  Each  had  four  hands  concealed 
from  view  by  the  wings.  Since  a  similar  human  face  was 
looking  outward  toward  each  quarter,  they  seemed  to  be  al- 
ways moving  straight  ahead.  In  the  midst  of  these  creatures 
glowed  the  fiame,  emitting  flashes  like  the  lightning\ 

I  looked  again  and  saw  four  similar  wheels  of  the  color  The  wheels 
of  topaz,  one  beside  each  creature.  Each  wheel  seemed  boiize  ^\T 
to  be  double,  consisting  of  two  wheels  cutting  each  other  ^"^^ement 
at  right  angles,  so  that  in  whatever  direction  the  chariot  (»  =  ^5-21) 
moved  four  wheels  appeared  to  be  moving  thither.  The  The  eyes, 
wheels,  like  the  creatures,  seemed  alive.  They  were  cov-  divine  om- 
ered  with  eyes  and  moved  whenever  the  creatures  moved,  (";^'"I^8T^ 
responding  to  the  same  impulse. 

Supported  by  the  heads  and  outstretched  wings  of  the  Jh^.t^^rone 
four  creatures  was  an  arch,  transparent  as  crystal.     Rest-  vine  occu- 
ing  upon  this  was  a  throne  resembling  a  sapphire,  on  which  \^  -,  22-28) 
sat  a  human-like  form,  bright  and  radiant  as  the  rainbow. 
I  saw  that  I  was  in  the  very  presence  of  Jehovah  himself 
and  fell  upon  my  face  in  reverence. 

2.  JehovaJis  Message  of  Mingled  Diseouragement  and 
Cheer  (2  :  i  to  3  :  11) 

•'  Finite  mortal,"  said  a  voice,"  arise  and  hear  my  mes-  ^he  pro^P^et 
sage  to  you. "     A  power  divine  pervaded  my  being  ;  I  arose  obe^^ient 
in  obedience  to  the  divine  summons,  and  received  this  com-  (2 :  1.7) 

*  Verse  14  is  generally  regarded  as  a  gloss. 
29 


Ezekiel  2 : 3  Messages  of  the 

mission  :  "  I  am  about  to  send  you  to  disobedient  Israel  to 
declare  my  will.     Whether  the  people  listen  to  you  or  not, 
they  will  eventually  recognize  your  office.     In  whatever 
ways  they  threaten  you  by  word  or  action  making  your  life 
a  burden,  have  no  fear,  but  declare  unflinchingly  the  truth. 
Assured  of        "  Let  no  scnsc  of  weakness  or  unworthiness  lead  you  to 
stmction'      imitate  this  rebellious  people  in  refusing  to  do  my  will. 
(2:8103: 3)  jj^Q^  J  ^-^  pjjj.  jj^^Q  your  mouth  the  messages  you  are  to 
utter.     To   symbolize   this    commission,   eat   this   scroll, 
which  represents  the  oft-repeated  messages  of  distress  and 
woe   which   you   must   declare  in   Jehovah's  name."      I 
obeyed,  but  the  bitter  words  seemed  sweeter  than  honey, 
symbolizing  that  in  the  performance  of  the  task  allotted 
by  Jehovah  I  would  find  true  joy. 
Encouraged      My  mission  was  then  made  more  clear.     "  You  are  to 
lessln?"^'     have  an  arduous  struggle  with  unfaithful  Israel.     Your 
faithful        difficulties  will  not  result  from  an  inability  to  make  your 
message  understood,  but  from  their  stubborn  unwilling- 
ness  to   obey.     Jehovah   will   help  you   to  be  bold  and 
steadfast,  and  to  declare,  without  fear  or  favor,  your  God- 
given  message  to  the  Israelites  in  Babylonia." 

3.    The  Prophet  Appointed  as  a  Watchman 

The  prophet     At  once  I  Seemed  to  be  lifted  up  and  borne  away  toward 

Tei-Abib      the  sccne  of  my  prophetic  work.     A  mysterious  sound  as 

(3  •  12-15)     Qf  rustling  wings  and  moving  wheels  behind  me  comforted 

me  by  the  indication  of    the  ever-active  power   of  Je- 

30 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  3:21 

hovah'.  I  departed,  stirred  to  the  heart  by  indignation 
at  my  unrepentant  people,  and  strengthened  by  a  sense  of 
divine  guidance.  Arriving  at  Tel-Abib,  where  I  w^as  to 
begin  my  work,  I  sat  seven  days  in  silence,  reflecting  on 
the  work  before  me.     Then  Jehovah  made  known  to  me  His  function 

,  ,  ,  ,  .  .         ,  ,     to  be  that  of 

that  I  was  to  be  a  watchman  to  give  warnmg  to  my  people  a  watchman 
of  the  crisis  now  at  hand,  to  turn  the  wicked  from  the  evil  ^3  =  16-21) 
of  his  way,  and  to  keep  the  righteous  from  falling  into 

sin 

»  By  the  change  of  one  letter  verse  12  is  made  to  read  "  when  the  glory  of 
Jehovah  rose.'' 


31 


PREDICTIONS     OF     EZEKIEL    CON- 

CERNING  THE  CERTAIN  FATE 

OF  JERUSALEM  AND  JUDAH 


PREDICTIONS  OF  EZEKIEL  CONCERNING 
THE  CERTAIN  FATE  OF  JERU- 
SALEM AND  JUDAH 


SYMBOLIC    PROPHECIES  OF  THE  COMING  OVERTHROW 
OF    CITY    AND    LAND    (3    :   22    tO  7    :   2j) 

I.    T/ie  New  Method  of  Prophetic  Work  (3  :  22-27) 

For  some  time  I  performed  with  but  little  success  my  The  second 
ministry  of  warning  and  exhortation  among  the  exiles  at  Heavenly^* 
Tel-Abib.     But  one  day,  being  bidden  to  go  to  a  secluded  T'^'^l^'^l  y 
valley,  I  again  seemed  to  come  into  the  very  presence  of 
Jehovah,  who  had  laid  his  commands  upon  me.     "  Depart  His  public 
to  your  house  and  abandon  this  useless  preaching.     You  K  give  w^ay 
shall  not  be  permitted  in  public  to  utter  your  warnings  to  Jeachhig^ 
this  incorrigible  people  until  I  again  give  you  permission.  ^3 :  24-27) 

2.   Symbolic  Representations  of  the  Fate  About  to  Over- 
take Jerusalem  (4  :  i  to  5  :  17) 

Unable  to  preach  with  freedom  or  success,  I  was  encour- 
aged to  portray  by  symbolic  actions  the  sad  and  certain 

35 


Ezekiel  4 :  i 


Messages  of  the 


The  repre- 
sentation of 
the  siege  of 
Jerusalem 
(4 :  1-3.  7) 


The  symbol 
of  the  cap- 
tivity to  en- 
dure for  a 
generation 
(4 :  4-6,  8; 


The  predic- 
tion of 
famine  and 
of  pollution 
(4  :  9-17) 


fate  which  was  to  come  to  my  beloved  city.  In  these  ways 
I  forced  the  people  to  give  unwilling  heed  to  the  messages 
which  they  had  refused  to  consider. 

On  a  tablet  of  clay  I  drew  a  sketch  of  Jerusalem  be- 
sieged by  active  enemies.  Between  me  and  this  pictured 
city  I  set  up  an  iron  plate,  in  token  of  the  barrier  between 
Jehovah  and  his  people,  and  to  signify  that  he  was  no 
longer  their  protector,  dwelling  in  their  midst,  but  their 
foe. 

Then  I  represented  in  expressive  symbol  the  sore  pun- 
ishment that  awaited  guilty  Israel.  For  one  hundred  and 
ninety^  days,  a  day  for  every  year  of  exile,  I  laid  myself 
down,  as  if  bound  and  helpless,  on  my  left  side,  in  token 
of  the  penalty  visited  upon  the  northern  kingdom,  and  for 
forty  days,  representing  a  generation,  on  my  right  side,  in 
token  of  the  fate  of  Judah. 

While  carrying  out  this  symbolic  action  I  was  led  to 
portray  the  extremities  to  which  my  people  would  be  re- 
duced. Making  an  unaccustomed  mixture  of  all  available 
grains  with  vegetables,  and  grinding  them  together  into  a 
coarse  kind  of  flour,  I  prepared  a  food  of  which  I  ate  spar- 
ingly, taking  only  a  small  measure  of  water.'^  Even  this 
distasteful  food  I  was  told  to  bake  publicly  with  loathsome 
fuel,  in  order  to  drive  home   to  the  hearts  of  all  who  saw 


*  The  reading  of  this  number  by  the  Septuagint  in  place  of  three  hun- 
dred and  ninety  is  very  generally  accepted  as  probable. 
2  Half  a  pound  of  food,  about  a  pint  and  a  half  of  water. 


36 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  5  :  14 

me  the  awful  deprivations  of  the  coming  siege,  and  the 
pollutions  of  a  foreign  captivity. 

But  the  fourth  symbol  was  yet  more  significant.     With  Thepredic- 
a  sword  of  keen  edge  I  was  to  remove  my  hair  and  beard,  three"foid^ 
dividing  the  severed  hair  into  three  portions.     One  third  I  pSng""' 
burned  in  the  fire,  representing  the  inhabitants  of  Jeru-  (s  =  1-4. 12) 
salem  about  to  die  of  pestilence  and  hunger  during  the 
siege.     Another  third  I  cut  in  pieces  with  the  sword  to 
indicate  that  as  many  would  perish  in  battle.     The  last 
third  I  scattered  to  the  winds,  since  my  people  were  to  be 
dispersed  among  the  heathen.     Not  all  were  to  perish, 
but  some,  after  being  subjected  to  purifying  judgments, 
were  to  be  preserved. 

And  this  was  the  explanation  '  of  these  symbolic  actions.  The  mean- 
Since  Jerusalem,  the  favored  city,  the  very  centre  of  the  fo?r  sym- * 
earth,  has  surpassed  all  nations  in  deliberate  wickedness,  ^5°'^ r.j,) 
not  even  recognizing  and  living  up  to  such  standards  as  they 
maintain,  she  must  be  visited  with  exemplary  punishment, 
so  severe  that  the  whole  world  will  be  impressed.     The 
horrors  of  the  siege,  the  distant  exile,  are  but  modes  of 
punishment  which  give  expression  to  Jehovah's  righteous 
indignation  because  his  people  have  polluted  his  very  sanc- 
tuary with   idolatrous  rites.     Jerusalem   shall    become  a 
laughing  stock  to  hostile  nations,  a  desolation  ravaged  by 

'  Most  scholars  regard,  "  Therefore  shall  a  fire  come  forth  "  (v.  4,)  as  a 
gloss,  and  read,  with  the  Septuagint,  "  and  say  to  the  whole  house  of 
Israel." 

37 


Ezekiel  5  :  17  Messages  of  the 

wild  beasts  and  robbers,  an  example  of  the  just  vengeance 
of  the  Almighty. 

3.    The  Certain  Devastation  of  the  Land  of  Israel  (6) 

The  land  Jehovah  also  bade  me  denounce  the  land  of  Israel  and 

guiity'in-      its  idolatdes.    "  O  land  of  mountains,  ravines,  and  villages, 
habitants      ^hose  hill-toDS  are  dotted  with  altars,  obelisks,  and  idols,' 

deserving  of  r  '  >  > 

devastation   whoUy  unablc  to  protcct  you  in  the  day  of  danger,  Jeho- 
vah's message  to  you  is  one  of  menace.   Only  a  demolition 
and  devastation  will  cause  you  to  recognize  me  and  give 
The  rem-     me  obedience.     In  the  years  to  come,  when  a  petty  rem- 
nant of  your  people  has  survived  the  horrors  of  invasion 
and  exile,  they  at  least  will  remember  me,  and  with  break- 
ing hearts  will  sincerely  repent. 
The  present      "  But  Jehovah  cau  Only  cherish  the  utmost  horror  and 
no7ufbe'^     detestation  of  the  present  wickedness.     As  the  champion 
(6  :*ii"i^4l      °^  justice  he  bids  me  rejoice  over  the  well-merited  calam- 
ities which  are  impending.     Not  one  sinner  shall  escape 
his  wrath.     By  a  judgment  which  will  desolate  the  land 
from,  south  to  north,'  defiling  every  idolatrous  shrine,  he 
will  manifest  his  power. " 

1  An  unknown  word,  meaning  an  object  of  worship. 
s  Properly,  "  from  the  Wilderness  to  Riblah." 


38 


nant  shall 
repent 
(6  :  8-10) 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  7  :  23 


4.  The  Doom  of  the  Nation  ^  (7) 

Again  came  the  necessity   of  proclaiming   the   dread  The  day  of 
message  of  approaching  doom.     "  O   land   of  Israel,  for  the  land  and 
your  abominations  a  requital  is  near  at  hand.     Jehovah  ants"ap-^'^' 
can  show  no  pity,  for  you  have  shown  no  inclination  to  [""^^j^.^^f 
repent.      Alas  !    only  calamities  are  in   prospect.      The 
catastrophe  draws  near.*     There  will  be  shouting  on  the 
hills,  but  it  is  the  tumult  of  hostile  invasion,  not  of  a  vint- 
age festival.     For  the  coming  day  of  doom  the  avenging 
rod  has  blossomed,  since  those  who  once  were  merely  No  security 
violent  had   become   defiantly   corrupt.      In   the  day  of  property'^ 
retribution  they  shall  be  stripped  of  all  they  hold  most  ^^  •  ^0-^3) 
dear.^    All  social  security  will  be  lost.     None  will  be  able 
to  claim  his  rightful  property  nor  to  secure  a  livelihood  by 
fair  means  or  foul. 

"  Preparations  for  defence  will  be  wholly  useless  ;  no  one  Defence  im- 
will  have  the  courage  to  resist  Jehovah's  will.    Those  whof7°n4-i8) 
do  not  perish  by  sword  and  famine  and  disease  will  be 
as  helpless  doves,  paralyzed  with  terror.     They  shall  fling  Their  wealth 
away  their  treasures  of  gold  and  silver  as  something  un-  (7 :  19-21) 
clean  and  unserviceable.     Since  they  have  used  these  as 
an  instrument  of  idolatry,  they  shall  become  the  spoil  of  The  temple 

profaned 

•  The  text  of  verses  1-9  is  in  confusion,  or  else  verses  3,  4  and  8,  9  are  (7  :  22-24) 
refrains.     Bertholet  {Ezekiel)   regards  the  original  poem  as  a  lyric  of  eigh- 
teen strophes  of  four  lines  each. 

2  The  Hebrew  consists  of  a  play  on  words,  not  easily  imitated. 

•  Very  obscure. 

39 


Ezekiel  7  :  24  Messages  of  the 

the  cruel  Babylonians,  who  shall  profane  at  will  the  very 
sanctuary,'  since  it  is  no  longer  a  fitting  abode  for  God. 
Despair  be-       "  Alas  !  it  will  be  a  time  of  anguish.     Repeatedly  will 
vah^has^  °*  Calamities  overwhelm  the  land.     Every  source  of  revela- 
vearhis'wS'  tion— prophet,  priest,  and  sage — will  be  dumb.     Israel's 
(7:  25-27)     i-uier  will  be  utterly  dismayed,  the  people  will  give  them- 
selves up  to  despair.     According  to  their  deeds  will  it  be 
rendered  unto  them,  that  they  may  learn  that  Jehovah  is 
their  God. " 

II 

THE    VISION    or    THE    SIN     OF     JERUSALEM     AND    ITS 
CONSEQUENCES   (8  :   I  tO  1 2   :  20) 

I.    The  Shameless  Idolatry  of  ferusalem  (8) 
The  prophet      Morc  than  a  year  had  passed  away  after  my  summons 

carried  in  a  .  ,       ■  ,  ,    _  ... 

vision  to  je-  to  the  prophetic  work,  and  I  was  receivmg  m  my  own 
(s^-^l!^)  house  certain  rulers  of  the  Jewish  community  who  had 
come  to  inquire  concerning  Jehovah's  word  regarding  Is- 
rael, when  I  suddenly  fell  into  a  trance  and  seemed  to  see 
before  me  a  human  Morm,  radiant  as  fire  or  glistening 
brass.  He  took  me  in  a  moment's  time  to  Jerusalem  and 
set  me  down  by  the  northern  gate  of  the  inner  temple 

*  "Make  the  chain"  seems  unintelligible. 

3  For  the  first  word  "  fire  "  in  verse  2  the  Septuagint  substitutes  "  a  man," 
improving  the  sense. 

40 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  8  :  i8 

court  and,  lo !  I  was  once  more  in  the  presence  of  Jeho- 
vah's glory. 

Mv  cuide  exhibited  to  me  the  various  idolatries  and  The  image 

•'      *"  ....  insulting  to 

abominations   which   were   being  practised   m  the   veryjehovah 
temple  itself,  the  supposed  abode  of  Jehovah.     At  the  en-  ^^l^^^  '^ 
trance  I  saw  an  image  of  Astarte,  so  defiling  his  sanctu-  (^  =  s.  6) 
ary  that  Jehovah  could  no  longer  dwell  therein. 

Passing  through  the  gateway  of  the  court,  I  found  a  J^oiatrous 
secret  door  which  opened   into  a  chamber  whose  walls  [Led  hiTe-^ 
were  covered  with  symbolic   pictures    of   every  kind  oi^^^^^^^^l^^ 
creature.     Within  the  room  were  the  principal  men  of  the  («  :  ms) 
nation  offering  incense  to  these  pictures,  as  if  they  thought 
that  Jehovah,  the  true  God  of  their  race,  had  abandoned 
the  land.     At  one  of  the  outer  gateways  were  women  Women  be- 

T  wailing 

celebrating  the  rites  of  the  Syrian  god,  1  ammuz.     i  even  Tammuz 
saw  in  the  inner  court,  near  the  great  altar  itself,  a  com-  (^  •  m,  is) 
pany  of  men,  their  faces  turned   eastward,   adoring  the  Sun  wor- 
rising  sun.  (8  :  i6) 

"  Mortal  one,"  demanded  my  divine  guide,"  can  I  over- The  certain 
look   such   abominations   as    these   which'  flourish    unre- fsTiJ^iS) 
strained  throughout  the  land  ?     My  people  are  but  mock- 
ing me.*     I  must  unsparingly  chastise  them." 

t  A  possible  meaning  of  "  they  put  the  branch  to  their   nose."     The  text 
and  interpretation  of  the  passage  are  very  uncertain. 


41 


Ezekiel  9  :  i  Messages  of  the 


2.  Its  Inevitable  Conseguefices :  Destructio7t  of  the  Peo- 
ple by  Sword  and  Fire  and  the  Departure  of 
fehovah  {g  to  ii) 

(l)  A  Slaughter  of  the  Idolatrous  Inhabitants  Decreed  (c):  i-ll) 

Execution-  While  I  WES  listening  he  uttered  a  summons,  and  six 
moneTtothe  heaveuly  beings  in  human  form  appeared,  equipped  for  the 
presence  of  ^jq^^  q{  slaughter.  With  them  was  an  officer,  who  carried 
(9:1-3)         in  his  girdle  materials  for  writing.     They  halted  by  the 

brazen  altar,  and  a  voice  from  the  cloud  which  surrounded 
An  officer  Jehovah's  glory  ordered  the  officer  to  pass  through  the 
markfrue  city  and  mark  the  foreheads  of  all  who  grieved  over  its 
^n  the'forT  idolatries  and  bade  the  others  to  follow  him,  and  slay 
head  (9  :  4)    vvithout  mcrcy  all  who  failed  to  receive  the  mark.    They 

began  in  my  very  presence  by  slaying  the  idolatrous  citi- 
All  others  to  zens  whom  I  had  seen,  but  soon  passed  out  into  the  city, 

leaving  the  heaps  of  corpses  to  defile  the  sacred  courts. 

Appalled  by  the  terrible  judgment.  I  cried  out,  "  O  Jeho- 
Aii  appeals  vah,  surcly  the  nation  will  not  be  completely  destroyed  ;  " 
b  vafn'^""  but  I  received  the  answer,  "  The  people  are  given  over  to 
(9 :  8-11)       violence  and  wrong-doing,  because  they  think  I  cannot 

punish  them.     I  will  be  inexorable." 

(2)    The  City  to  Be  Set  on  Fire  (10:  1-7) 

This  announcement  was  followed  by  one  no  less  start- 
ling.    The  officer,  who  had  completed  his  former  task, 
42 


be  slain 
(9:  5-7) 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  ii  :  i 

was  commanded  to  scatter  throughout  the  city  glowing  The  officer 
coals,  taken  from  the  fire  within  the  chariot  of  God.  When  To'^burn ^tlTe 
he  advanced  to  obey,  the  whole  court  seemed  aglow  with  ?JJf.  j.  v 
a  radiance  from  Jehovah's  presence/     A  cherub  handed 
him  some  of  the  coals  and  he  departed  on  his  mission. 

(3)    The  Identification  of  the  Chertibim  loith  the  Living  Great- 
lives  (10:  8-22) 

Meanwhile  I  observed  more  carefully  the  supernatural  The  wheels, 
glory  before  me.     I  noted  the  wheels  of  topaz  color,  sym-  acdvity^and 
bolizing  the  constant  activity  of  God,  covered  with  eyes  (10IU13) 
significant  of  his  all-seeing  power. 

While  I  was  gazing  the  glory  departed  from  the  temple  The  living 
and  hovered  over  the  eastern  gate.     The  living  creatures,  seen7Jb\ 
which  I  had  formerly  seen  supporting  Jehovah's  throne,  I  fll,^^"^'™2) 
now  perceived  to  be  the  cherubim  which  guard  the  very 
presence  of  God  and  uphold  his  throne.'^     I  realized  with 
increased  certainty  that  Jehovah  himself  had  uttered  the 
message  of  doom  and  was  about  to  depart  from  his  pol- 
luted sanctuary. 

(4)    The  Departure  of  Jehovah  frotn  the  Deluded  City  (11) 

At  the  eastern  gateway  of  the  temple  I  saw  a  throng  of 
men,  among  whom  were  two  well-known  princes,  busily 

•  Verses  i  and  5  are  purposely  left  without  paraphrase  because  of  their 
uncertainty. 

2  Cherubim  in  the  Old  Testament  seem  to  have  these  two  distinct  func- 
tions.    Compare  Ezekiel  28  :  14  and  Ps.  18:   ir. 

43 


Ezekiel  11:2 


Messages  of  the 


The  band  of 
conspirators 
at  the  east- 
ern gate 


The  certain 
conse- 
quences of 
their  folly 
Ui  •  4-13) 


Jehovah's 
purposes 
hold  good 
wherever 
his  people 
are  dwelling 
Ui  :  14-21) 


plotting  revolt  against  Nebuchadrezzar  and  discouraging 
peaceful  occupations,  urging  that  the  city  was  still  strong 
enough  to  protect  its  inhabitants  against  all  invaders. 
Obeying  a  prophetic  impulse  from  Jehovah,  I  said,  "  O 
men  of  Judah,  your  reliance  upon  Jehovah's  protection  and 
upon  the  strength  of  your  defences  is  futile.  Your  plots 
only  result  in  filling  the  city  with  corpses.  But  you  who 
hope  to  escape  the  consequences  of  your  folly  will  bear 
them  to  the  uttermost  in  the  camp  of  the  great  king  whom 
you  defy."  While  I  was  speaking  one  of  the  princes  died. 
Horror-stricken  by  the  earnest  of  what  was  to  be,  I  hum- 
bly prayed  that  my  nation  might  not  be  completely  de- 
stroyed, and  I  received  a  message  of  comfort  and  hope. 
"  These  men  of  Jerusalem  consider  that  your  fellow  ex- 
iles,' scattered  far  and  wide  among  foreign  peoples,  are 
out  of  reach  of  my  power  and  cut  off  from  their  own  land 
and  sanctuary.  Great  is  their  mistake,  for  the  faithful  ex- 
iles can  still  worship  me  in  their  new  homes  and  their  pun- 
ishment shall  not  always  continue.  I  will  gather  them 
and  bring  them  back  to  Judah.  They  shall  cleanse  the 
land  of  all  abominations,  draw  close  to  me  and  become  a 
docile,  obedient  people.  But  those  who  have  given  them- 
selves up  to  idolatry  shall  receive  their  just  deserts." 

With  this  mingled  threat  and  promise  the  divine  pres- 
ence seemed  to  move  away  from  his  temple  until  it  rested 


J  "The  men  of  thy  kindred"   (R.  V. 
should  be  read  "  thy  fellow  exiles." 

44 


margin   "redemption")  probably 


Later  PropJicts  Ezckiel  12  :  i6 

on  the  Mount  of  Olives.     Jehovah  had  abandoned    his  Jehovah 
beloved  city  to  its  doom.     My  vision  ended,  and  I  related  Z?llt}^^^x\ 
what  I  had  seen  to  the  elders.  hoVcky 

(11  :  22-25) 
3.    The  Certain  Exile  of  King  aiid  People  (12  ;  1-20) 

Despite  these  plain  declarations  of  Jehovah's  purposes,  The  need  of 
the  members  of  the  exiled  community  stubbornly  refused  symbdic 
to  give  them  credence.     I  therefore  felt  impelled  to  im-  YxT^^l^f 
press  my  message  regarding  Jerusalem  upon  their  minds 
in  a  more  striking  way.     Arousing  the  attention  of  all  by  The  panto- 
publicly  packing  such  articles  as  I  would  need  in  a  hasty  ^p^ng" 
flight,  I  placed  the  bundle  near  the  city  wall.     In  the  night  J.'^^aH^b  ^^  ^^^ 
I  dug  through  the  wall,  and  then,  in  the  presence  of  the  "'ght 
wondering  bystanders,  having  blinded  my  eyes  with  a  ban- 
dage, I  groped  my  way  through  the  tunnel,  bearing  the 
bundle  on  my  back.     When  my  neighbors  inquired  the 
meaning  of  these  strange  actions  I  replied,  "Jehovah  has  Its  explana- 
appointed  me  to  represent  symbolically  the  certain  exile  of  fi^a"  8-16) 
prince  and  people.     King  Zedekiah  will  prepare  for  secret 
fiight,  but  he  shall  be  captured,  blinded,  and  brought  in 
triumph  to  a  city  which  his  eyes  shall  never  behold.     His 
supporters  shall  be  scattered  and  slain.     The  few  whom 
Jehovah  spares  will  be  an  evidence  to  the  world  of  his 
righteous   character    and    of    the    horrible   guilt   of   his 
people." 

Again  I  manifested  every  sign  of  terror  as  I  ate  my  food, 

45 


Ezekiel  12  :  17  Messages  of  the 

The  panto-  in  token  of  the  feelings  of  dread  soon  to  be  experienced  by 
^anrfear°"'  thc  men  of  Judah  during  the  coming  siege  and  the  subse- 
(12 :  17-20)    q^jgnt  desolation. 

Ill 

THE    MORAL    NECESSITY     OF    JUDAH's    DESTRUCTION 

(12  :  21  to  19  :  14) 

I .   The  Popular  Scepticism  Supported  by  False  Prophets 
(12  :  21  to  13  :  23) 

The  scepti-       fhe  unwelcome  truth  came  home  to  me  that,  in  spite 

cal  attitude  * 

of  Ezekiel's  of  my  repeated  warnings,  the  people  were  sceptical  con- 
con  empora-  ^^^j-j^jj^g  ^^  realization  of  the  prophecies  and  careless  re- 
{12 :  21-28)    garding  the  future,  saying  to  one  another  that  none  of 
the  many  predictions  of  past  years  were  being  fulfilled. 
Accordingly  I  warned  them  that  the  time  appointed  was 
at  hand  and  that  the  sceptics  themselves  should  see  the 
execution  of  Jehovah's  word. 
The  baneful     *'  Do  not  wondcr  that  the  people  are  losing  their  con- 
the  false       fidcncc  in  the  prophetic  word,  for  they  have  been  deceived 
TiT^^w!  10)  ^y  uninspired   prophets,  unable  to  comprehend   or  pro- 
claim the  thoughts  of  God.     Lacking  moral  insight  and 
convictions,  these  often  predict  peace  instead  of  judgment. 
Like  jackals,  they  can  only  undermine  ;  they  do  not  help 
the  nation  to  be  strong.     While  not  always  intentional 
deceivers,  their  words  cannot  be  trusted.     Whatever  wild 
46 


Later  Prophets  Ezekicl  14:8 

scheme  of  deliverance  is  proposed  they  approve  ;  but  their 
sanction  is  as  valuable  as  a  coat  of  whitewash  on  a  totter- 
ing wall. 

"  These  false  religious  leaders  Jehovah  will  visit  in  judg-  Jehovahs 
ment,  for  he  cannot  abide  them.  He  will  wholly  cut  them  Lgafnst'" 
off  from  Judah  ;  they  shall  never  again  see  their  native  [^^"^8  ^ 
land.   To  make  manifest  to  all  their  entire  lack  of  wisdom  ^^) 
and  foresight,  Jehovah  will  lay  prostrate  the  walls  which 
they  pretend  to  strengthen. 

"  Jehovah's   righteous  indignation   is   also  against  the  a  judgment 
women  who  follow  prophesying  as  a  profession,  freely  e?sTrj^  "^^ 
practising  divination,  thereby  dragging  his  sacred  name  ^e^'^st  the 
into  disrepute  and  creating  moral  confusion.     Since  they  practise 
discourage  the  righteous  and  embolden  the  wicked  to  be  (13 :  17-23) 
defiant,  he  will  put  an  end  to  their  activity,  that  all  may 
come  to  know  him  as  Jehovah." 

2.    The  People  Idolatrous  beyond  Par do7i  (14) 
(i)  Jehovah  cannot  Answer  Stubborn  Idolaters  (14  :  i-ii) 

One  day  when  the  elders  came  to  consult  me  concern-  The  request 
ing  Jehovah's  purposes,  I  saw  that  they  were  not  honoring  jers  refused 
him  by  their  lives,  but,  like  the  rest  of  the  people,  were^^'^*  ^'^^ 
really  idolaters  at  heart.     I  therefore  told  them  plainly 
that   no   persistent  idolater  would  get  an   answer  from 
Jehovah  except  in  vigorous  acts  of  judgment. 

Moreover,  if  a  so-called  prophet  should  respond  to  the 

47 


Ezekiel  14  :  9  Messages  of  the 

The  fate  of  rcqucst  of  idolatcrs  and  give  them  a  pretended  answer 
prother'^"'from  Jehovah,  both  they  and  the  prophet  would  be  de- 
(14  :  9-1 1)     stroyed  together  in  order  that  the  survivors  might  thus  be 

influenced  to  cease  from  such  wickedness  and  to  become 

in  reahty  his  people. 

(2)    The  Nation  Not  to  Be  Saved  by  a  Few  Good  Men 
(14  :  12-23) 

The  occa-         In  rcsponse  to  the  oft-expressed  opinion  that  Jehovah 
uuerance^    would  not  dcstroy  his  people  despite  their  wickedness,  be- 
cause of  the  many  good  men  among  them,  I  received  the 
A  wicked     declaration  from  Jehovah,  "  If  a  land  deliberately  acted  so 
be" druvJr^ed  as  to  deserve  any  one  of  my  great  judgments — famine, 
^f  a^few  of"^  wild  beasts,  armed  invasion,  or  pestilence — although  there 
its  citizens    lived  in  that  land  such  noble  and  perfectly  righteous  men 
14 .  12  20     ^^  ]\Tq^|^  qj.  Daniel  or  Job,  they  would  not  even  deliver 
their  own  families  from  my  just  vengeance  ;  they  would 
save  themselves  alone. 
Jerusalem,        "  Since  Jerusalem  has  sinned  so  deeply  as  to  de?  erve 

least  of  all      ^i c :.,J„™ ^„  „.. t :.„ :ui„  .v  :«■  f^.,   U^.. 


(14:   21-23) 


these  four  judgments  at  once,  how  impossible  is  it  fov  her 
thus  to  be  delivered.  Those  who  are  preserved,  hoMv.ver, 
shall  serve  to  prove  the  reasonableness  of  my  action." 

3.  JehovaJis  People  a  Worthless  Vitie  (15) 

The  people  often  urged,  "  Are  we  not  Jehovah's  v'ine, 
planted  and  nourished  by  him.     Will  he  destroy  his  own 
possession !  "     To  which  Jehovah  bade  me  reply,  "  'When 
48 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  16  ; 


34 


a  vine  is  unfruitful,  has  it  any  value  in  comparison  with  a  Jiuiai-  is  Je- 
tree  ?     If  already  half  consumed  by  fire,  can  it  be  put  tobm tinfi 


vine, 

fruit- 


any  use  ?     Judah   is  such  a  vine,  so  utterly  useless  as  aj^"'^^""^. 
nation  that  Jehovah  can  only  destroy  the  fragment  which  worthless 
still  remains." 

4.   TJie  Moral  History  of  the  Israelitish  Race  (16) 
To  brin^  home  to  the  people  the  necessity  of  Israel's  How  jeho- 

1  •  T      •  1     ,  •  ,         ,•,--,  ,    ,      v^"  adopted 

destruction,  I  pictured  the  continued  unfaithfulness  of  the  Israel  and 
nation  to  Jehovah  from  the  beginning  of  its  history  in  the  upTrf  Egypt 
familiar  figure  of  a  faithless  and  ungrateful  wife.  ^^^  ■  ^"^^ 

Israel  was  a  foundling  child  of  heathenish  parentage,  The  cove- 
uncared  for  and  exposed  in  a  public  field  to  perish.     But  sfnai^and 
Jehovah  pitied  her  and  supplied  her  needs  and  watched  freL^irS^of 
over  her  until  she  grew  to  womanhood.     Then  he  took  Canaan 

(16  :  8-14) 

her  to  himself  in  lawful  marriage,  bestowed  upon  her 
costly  attire  and  jewels  and  gave  her  delicate  fare.  All  that 
wealth  could  buy  was  hers,  and  she  became  celebrated  for 
her  beauty. 

But  she  soon  became  unfaithful  to  her  husband,  and  Israel's 
made  use  of  the  gifts  with  which  he  had  loaded  her  to  at-  S  of  °^' 
tract  her  lovers.     She  even  sacrificed  her  children  to  their  J^e^f ^^.22) 
desires,  entirely  disregarding  him  who  had  redeemed  her  Her  alli- 
from  her  disgraceful  fate.     Finally,  in  her  shameless  ando^hern^-^ 
unbridled  license,  she  allied  herself  with  foreigners,  the  *'""s  ^^^  , 

"  adoption  of 

Egyptians,  the  Assyrians,  and  the  Babylonians,  enticing  their  reiig- 

,  .  .       .f  ,  ious  rites 

them  with  gifts  to  come  to  her.  (16 :  23-34) 

49 


Ezekiel  i6 


35 


Messages  of  tJie 


Her  appro- 
priate pun- 
ishment in- 
evitable 
(16  :  35-43) 


Her  sins 
more  hei- 
nous than 
those  of 
Sodom  or 
Samaria 
(16  :  44-52) 


After  suit- 
able punish- 
ment Jeho- 
vah will 
restore  her 
to  Canaan 
and  intrust 
to  her  in- 
struction 
other  nations 
(16 :  53-63) 


What  will  Jehovah  do  to  a  spouse  so  persistently- 
faithless  ?  He  will  expose  her  to  shame  in  the  very  pres- 
ence of  her  lovers ;  he  will  take  away  her  ornaments  and 
costly  garments  of  which  she  is  proud,  will  cause  her  to 
undergo  painful  punishment  in  the  sight  of  all  the  people, 
and  thus  bring  her  adulterous  career  to  an  end. 

*'  Had  you,  O  Israel,"  Jehovah  declares,  "  merely  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  your  Canaanitish  mother  and  your 
sisters,  Samaria  and  Sodom,  you  would  deserve  to  suffer 
their  merited  fate.  Sodom  was  made  to  prosper,  but  in 
her  self-satisfied  pride,  she  forgot  her  duties  to  man  and 
God.  Samaria,  your  older  sister,  deliberately  neglected 
her  obligations.  Nevertheless,  both  nations  were  right- 
eous in  comparison  with  you,  for  they  had  less  reason  to 
be  faithful  to  me.  Hence  your  punishment  must  be  the 
greater. 

"  In  the  distant  future  I  will  restore  the  people  of  Sa- 
maria and  Sodom  as  well  as  you  to  Palestine,  but  condi- 
tions will  then  have  altered.  After  having  paid  the  pen- 
alty of  your  own  wickedness  you  will  no  longer  be  able  to 
speak  of  Sodom  or  Samaria  with  contempt.  Stirred  to 
sincere  repentance  by  the  proof  of  my  faithfulness,  you 
will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  me,  and  will 
become  a  guardian  over  these  nations  which  I  will  place 
under  your  protection.  Because  of  my  goodness  and  grace 
you  will  then  be  overwhelmed  by  mingled  regret  and  grat- 
itude." 

50 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  17 


5.    T/ic  Consequences  of  Zcdekiah's  Breach  of  Faith  (17) 
Word  came  to  the  exiled  community  that  Judah   had  The  parable 

f        I  •  I  •  M    1         1        1  of  the  great 

again  broken  out  into  open  revolt  against  Nebuchadrezzar,  gagk-  whi.  ii 
Then  the  prophet  related  a  parable  to  show  Jehovah's  view  J^he"edar^ 
of  this  disloyalty.     A  great  eagle  of  splendid  appearance  ^^ig  to 
flew   to  Lebanon,  and,  plucking  the   topmost   twig  of  a  (17 :  1-4) 
stately  cedar,  carried  it  to  Babylon.     At  the  same  time  he 
took  a  cutting  which  he  found  in  Canaan  and  planted  it  The  parable 
under  favorable  conditions,  hoping  that  it  would  flourish  eaglets  ^nd 
and  become  a  fruitful  vine.     The  vine,  however,  instead  Jj^^'j^'^j^^g^'^' 
of  contentedly  bearing  fruit  for  the  eagle  who  planted  it,  (^7 : 5-10) 
put  forth  its  runners  longingly  toward  a  rival  eagle,  seek- 
ing nourishment  from  him.     What  does  such  a  disloyal 
vine  deserve  except  to  be  blasted  by  a  wind  from  the  east  ? 

The  meaning  of  the  parable  is  plain.     King  Nebuchad-  The  expla- 
rezzar  carried  off   to   Babylon    King   Jehoiakin   and  the  first'pVrabie^ 
princes.     He  placed  Zedekiah  on  the  throne  of  Judah,  tak-  ^^^ '  "'  '"^^ 
ing  from  him  a  pledge  to  be  a  loyal  vassal.     Zedekiah  has  The  expia- 
foolishly  broken  his  oath,  relying  on  the  support  of  Kings^cond° 
Hoph'a  of  Egypt.     When  Nebuchadrezzar  attacks  him  ^^7  '•  »3-i9) 
the  Pharaoh  will  give  no  protection.     He  will  be  brought 
a  captive  to  Babylon  and  his  warriors  will  be  scattered  as  Zedekiah's 
exiles,  because  he  has  defied,  not  only  his  political  chief,  ('i^^'^c^TzT) 
but  also  Jehovah. 

"  Although  Nebuchadrezzar's  experiment  was  not  a  suc- 
cess, the  time  will  come,"  saith  Jehovah,  "  when  I  will  plant 

SI 


Ezekiel  17  ;  23  Messages  of  the 


Jehovah's     a  twig  from  the  cedar  on  Jerusalem's  mountain,  where  it 
fhJ^Sure'^   will  bccome  a  stately  tree,  giving  shelter  to  all  creatures, 
(17 :  22-24)    towering  over  all  trees.     Then  shall  I  be  known  as  the 
creator  and  governor  of  the  world." 

6.   The  Principles  in  Accordance  with  which  God  Exer- 
cises Judginejit  (18) 

The  popular  An  oft-rcpcated  proverb,  "  The  fathers  have  eaten  sour 
men't^aT^^'  grapcs  and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge,"  pithily 
eipressed^^  cxprcssed  the  popular  feeling  of  my  countrymen  that  their 
(18  :  I,  2)  calamities  were  an  inheritance  from  the  past  and  that  they 
were  powerless  to  avert  them.  I  urged  that  the  time  had 
The  pro-       come  to  givc  up  this  despairing  attitude,  since  every  man 

phetic  an-  ,  .  ,   .  •,  i      <• 

nouncement  Stands  m  a  dircct  relation  to  God  and  is  responsible  for 
freedom  a'Jd  himself  alouc.  For  instance,  if  a  man  lives  a  pure  and 
SH?°"oTthe  upright  life,  observing  faithfully  his  religious  and  social 
individual     obligations,  taking  no  advantage  of  others'  weakness  or 

need,  he  shall  live.  If  such  a  man  has  a  son  who  does  the 
The  three-  revcrsc,  breaking  every  law  of  God,  that  son  shall  die  as 
tk)n  '  "^  ^^  he  deserves.  If,  in  turn,  that  wicked  son  shall  have  a  son 
(18  :  5-20)     yf^Y^Q  sees  his  father's  wickedness  and  determines  to  live  a 

righteous  life,  he  shall  not  die  for  the  sin  of  his  father,  but 

shall  live  because  of  his  righteousness. 

A  man's  Another  principle  must  also  be  kept  in  mind.     A  man's 

ofltsd^con-  past  will  not  of  itself  condemn  or  save  him.     If  a  wicked 

demn  or  j^^j^  sinccrelv  rcpcnts  and  lives  a  righteous  life,  his  trans- 
save  him  •'        '  *=" 

(18 :  21-29)   gression  will  be  forgiven  and  he  shall  live.     If  a  man  who 

52 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  19  :  4 

has  been  righteous  deliberately  does  evil,  his  previous 
goodness  shall  not  avail.  Thus  men's  deeds  determine 
their  own  fate.      Is  not  this  a  sound  principle  of  life  } 

Let  this  thought  of  the  moral  freedom  and  responsi-  The  reason- 
bility  of  man  inspire  within  you,  O  Israelites,  renewed  jeho"vah's^ 
earnestness  and  obedience.     Jehovah  takes  no  pleasure  in  To^^ 

•^  »  (10  :  30-32) 

judgment,  but  is  only  striving  to  lead  you  into  a  purer 
and  more  normal  life. 

7.    The  Sad  Fate  of  Judah^s  Rulers  (19) 
Well  may  you  sing,  fellow  captives,  over  the  rulers  of  Judah,  the 

Tju^L-  '  c  \  ^    ..•         I  lioness  and 

Judah  this  song  of  lamentation  '  :  her  two  un- 

fortunate 
How  was  your  mother  a  lioness,  T    h  ^' 

Among  the  lions,—  and  Jehoia- 

Amid  young  lions  she  couched,  1^'"        . 

(19  :  1-9) 
She  reared  her  whelps. 

And  one  of  her  whelps  she  brought  up, 

He  became  a  young  lion. 
And  he  learned  to  catch  prey, 

He  devoured  men. 
Against  him  the  nations  cried  out, 

In  their  pit  they  took  him. 
Away  they  led  him  with  hooks, 

To  the  land  of  Egypt. 

>  The  peculiarity  of  the  elegiac  line  is  that  it  consists  of  two  clauses,  the 
second  the  shorter  of  the  two,  and  finishing  the  line  with  a  mournful,  falling 
cadence.  The  whole  chapter  is  a  poem  of  which  the  last  few  verses  are 
in  some  confusion. 

53 


Ezekiel  19  :  5  Messages  of  the 

When  the  mother  lioness  saw  that  her  whelp  was  lost 
to  her  she  took  another  young  lion  and  sought  to  make 
him  the  defender  of  her  lair.     In  time  men  heard  his  roar- 
ing and  captured  him  and  carried  him  into  captivity. 
Judah,  the        Judah  may  be  also  likened  to  a  vine  which  has  put  forth 
Turned  by     many  branches  and  spread  its  foliage  toward  the  clouds. 
own^b°ranch,  ^^^  whcn  the  hot  wind  from  the  far  East  withers  the  vine, 
Zedekiah      breaks  down  its  branches,  and   sets  them   on   fire,   the 

(19  :  10-14) 

branch  which  seemed  so  promising  will  but  aid  in  con- 
suming the  vine. 

IV 

FINAL    PROPHECIES    OF    JUDGMENT    (20  tO  24) 

I.    The  Secret   of  fehovaJis   Past   Dealings  with   His 
People  (20  :  1-44) 

Theocca-         About  two  ycars  after  my  first  vision  of  God,  some  of 

sion  of  the        ,  ,  ,  ,  •  •         t   1  1  .         -n        t 

utterance      the  cldcrs  Came  one  day  to  mquire  Jehovah  s  will.     I  was 
(20 :  1-4)       ^j.  |^j.gj.  in:,peiie(i  to  refuse  to  receive  them,  for  I  knew  how 
superficial  was  their  devotion  ;  but  Jehovah  bade  me  un- 
fold to  them  the  lessons  of  their  history. 
The  idolatry      «'  When  I  chose  Israel  as  my  own  people,  making  myself 

of  the  He-      ,  ,  .      ^  /  r.\  &        ^ 

brews  in       known  to  them  m  Egypt  and  promismg  them  the  delight- 

gi^e^  *"^     ful  land  of  Canaan,  I  bade  them  forsake  their  primitive 

(20:5-9)       idolatry.     This  they  would  not  do;  yet  for  my  name's 

sake,  I  spared  them.    They  were  delivered  from  Egyptian 

54 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  20  :  45 

thraldom,  and  in  the  wilderness  I  set  before  them  laws  and  Their  refu- 

1  •  t        t        ^^'  '°  obey 

precepts  of  righteousness.     These  they  ignored  or  broke,  the  com- 
but  again    I  could  not  bring  myself  to  destroy  them  en- ",|^the^^|f.^" 
tirelv.     Their  children,  however,  were   as   rebellious   as  '^^'■"ess 

J  (2o  :  10-17; 

their  fathers.     I   threatened  to  scatter  them    among  the 
nations   and    I    allowed   them  to  injure  themselves  with  Their  gross 
heathenish  follies,  but  for  my  name's  sake  I  still  spared  ed  idda^Hes 
them.     But  when  they  came  to  Canaan,  they  forthwith  J^^o -Ts-^^) 
adopted  the  Canaanitish  rites.* 

•'  Now,  O  Israelites,  do  you  think  that  I  will  countenance  Jehovah  will 

...  -V       ,  c  Til  -1     "o^^  assert 

your  persistence  in  idolatry.''  Must  I  look  on  passively  his  sovereign 
while  you  worship  manufactured  gods  }  Nay  !  I  will  assert  ("J  /30-44) 
my  sovereign  rights  and  bring  you  again  under  my  domi- 
nance. Idolators  I  will  not  tolerate  in  my  land,  but  only 
those  of  you  who  serve  me  on  Mount  Zion.  Thus  will  I 
be  honored  in  the  sight  of  the  world.  Then  my  good- 
ness will  cause  you  to  repent  of  your  evil  ways  and  you 
will  realize  that  I  have  dealt  with  you  as  befits  the  all- 
powerful  and  just  Ruler  of  the  universe." 

2.  Jehovah's  Avenging  Sword  (20  :  45  to  21  :  32) 

The  news  came  to  our  community  at  Tel-Abib  that  the 
great  king  had  started  westward  to  inflict  an  adequate 
punishment  upon  his  faithless  vassals  in  Syria.    I  felt  that 

1  Verse  29  contains  a  curious  play  on  the  word  for  "high  place,"  not 
easily  paraphrased.  *'  What  (ma)  is  the  high  place  (bama)  to  which  you 
go  (ba)." 

55 


Ezekiel  20  :  45  Messages  of  the 

The  fire       Judah's  days  were  numbered  and  predicted  that  Jehovah 
vour  Judah  was  about  to  kindle  in  Judah  an  unquenchable,  consuming 
(20  :  45-48)    f^i-g^  which  would  devour  green  and  dry  trees  alike,  scorch- 
ing all  onlookers  because  of  its  fierceness. 

The  people  laughed  at  my  parable  and  failed  to  give 
sober   heed  to  my   warning.     So    Jehovah   inspired  me 
to  present  another,  much  more  distinct  and  plain.     "  Je- 
The  aveng-  hovah  is  about  to  draw  from  the  scabbard  his  avenging 
Er°o'^     sword,  which   will   slay  all   in   the   land— righteous  and 
(l7- 1-  )      wicked  alike.     It  shall  not  be  replaced  until  it  has  done 
its  work."     I  was  bidden  to  show  signs  of  great  emotion, 
as  a  suggestion  of  the  paralyzing  tidings  soon  to  be  heard. 
Theproph-   My  passiouatc  grief  found  expression  in  a  wild  sword 
Sois  of  grief  song  ^  concerning  the  keen  and  gleaming  blade  ready  for 
(21 :  6-17)      ygg  |_jy  j.j^g  executioner.     With  horror  I  seemed  to  see  the 
slaughter  of  the  leaders  and  of  the  people  of  Judah.     It 
flashed  like  the  lightning,  here  and  there,  bringing  univer- 
sal destruction,  according  to  Jehovah's  decree. 
Nebuchad-        By  a  Symbolic  action  I  pointed  out  who  was  to  be  the 
?edsion'"     wicldcr  of  this  sword.     Marking  out  a  road,  which  finally 
favir'if'je-  forked,  I  set   up  a  sign-post,  which  indicated  that  one 
(2r-^^i'8-2  )    branch  led  to  Jerusalem  and  the  other  to  Rabbah  of  Am- 
mon.    At  this  parting  of  the  ways  stood  Nebuchadrezzar, 
uncertain  as  to  which  city  he  should  go.     Consulting  the 
omens,  he  selected  Jerusalem.     Alas,  what  sad  results  !  a 
king  discrowned,  a  city  in  ruins,  everything  in  hopeless 

*  Verse  gb-ii  is  probably  a  poem  of  two  stanzas  of  four  lines  each. 

56 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  22  :  26 


confusion  !     There   can   be   no   alteration  for  the  better 
until  the  true  Davidic  king  comes. 

Another  sword  of  vengeance — that  of  Ammon — seems  The  aveng- 
to  be  unsheathed.     Their  diviners  urge  a  raid  against  Ammon'"^  "^ 
the  helpless  people  of  Jerusalem.     "  These  visions  of  con-  ^^^  •  ^^'3=^^ 
quest,  O  Ammon,  are  vain.     Put  back   the   sword.     In 
your  own  land  Jehovah  will  administer  the  chastisement 
you  deserve." 

3.    The  Indictment  of  Jerusalem  (22) 

Realizing  how  false  an  idea  of  Jerusalem's  value  men  Jerusalem's 
had,  I  held  the  mirror  to  her  face.  "  O,  bloody  and  idola-  X-t^f^'^^^^ 
trous  city,  you  deserve  the  doom  which  is  coming  upon 
you.     Injustice,    irreverence,   oppression  of  the  stranger 
and  of  the  weak,  profanation,  lewdness,  bribery,  extortion 
— all  these  social  crimes  are  practised  and  God  is  for- 
gotten.    With  grief  and  horror  Jehovah  witnesses  these  its  certain 
enormities.    He  will  deal  justly  and  firmly  with  you,  even  ('2"Ti^3"T6"/ 
though  he  seems  to  put  himself  to  shame  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world. 

"  Jerusalem  to-day  is  like  a  melting  pot  and  Judah  is  like  It  can  serve 
mixed  metals,  fit  only  to  be  tested  in  the  fervent  heat,  that  ^efting-Vt 
the  pure  silver  may  be  made  manifest.  So  will  Jehovah  ^^^  *  ^^-^^^ 
purify  his  people. 

"  For  the  nation  is  full  of  wickedness.     It  is  unfruitful  its  inhabi- 
like  a  land  without  rain.     All  classes  do  evil — the  princes  corrupt  "^  ^ 
are  rapacious  and  violent,  the  priests  are  careless  in  per-  ^^^  •  ^^"^'^ 
57 


Ezekiel  22  :  27  Messages  of  the 

forming  their  duties,  the  nobles  are  cheats,  the  prophets 
apologize  for  them  all  and  give  them  support,  while  the 
people  rob,  oppress,  and  deceive.  Not  a  man  can  be 
found  who  can  really  protect  them.  Jehovah  has  no 
option  but  to  destroy  the  nation. 

4.    T/ie  Two  Unfaithful  Wives  of  Jehovah  (23) 

The  two  sis-      To  set  forth  more  clearly  the  long  continued  infidelity 

ters  (23 : 1-4)  ^j  g^^^^j^  and  Jerusalem   to  Jehovah,  in  their  constant 

appeal  to  strangers   for  protection  instead  of  to  him,  the 

prophet  used  again  an  allegory  concerning  two  beautiful 

sisters,  Oholah  and  Oholibah,  who  were,  in  their  youth, 

wedded  to  Jehovah. 

Samaria's         Oholah,  attracted  after  a  while  by  the  sturdy  and  war- 

with  Assyria  like  character  of  the  Assyrians,  deserted  her  husband  and 

which^Sed  gave  hcrsclf  to  them  and  to  the  Egyptians.     At  length  he 

(2  '^^^'A'^oT   ^^^^  ^^^  ^^  ^^^^^  hands  to  insult  and   abuse  according  to 

their  brutal  disposition, 
Judah's  al-        Oholibah,  her  sister,  did  far  worse.     She,  too,  intrigued 
A^ss^^a7^     with  Assyrians  ;  but,  in  addition,  had  dealings  with  Baby- 
Egypt°"  ^^^  lonians,  of  whom  she  quickly  wearied.    When  her  husband 
(23 :  n-21)    would  not  receive  her  back  again  she  turned  to  Egypt. 
Her  severe        "  Now,  O  Oholibah,  your  husbaud  Jehovah  will  stir  up 
f2'^T22™3^5)    against  you  those  with  whom  you  have  had  criminal  deal- 
ings.    They  shall  encompass  and  capture  you,  and  expose 
your  folly  and  shame.     You  have  brought  this  calamity 
upon  yourself.     As  your  sister  suffered,  so  shall  you,  for 

58 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  24  :  15 

you  have  forgotten  him  to  whom  your  loyal  allegiance 
was  due. 

"  Does  anyone  question  the  justice  of  this  punishment  ?  Additional 
These  sisters  have  been  guilty  of  nameless  abominations,  their' sin  and 
They   have   broken   every  covenant.     Their  punishment  p^"^"!^^^"'^^J]* 
shall  be  that  of  faithless  women,  for  such  wickedness  must 
cease." 

5.    The  Tidvigs  of  tJu  Siege  of  Jerusalem  (24) 

For  four  years  and  a  half  I  had  been  quietly  conveying  Jerusalem 
to  my  countrymen  these  messages  of  Jerusalem's  sure  de-  uJ"o*be 
struction,  when,  on  the  very  day  that  Nebuchadrezzar  be-  ^y  ^"e^'^ 
gan  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  Jehovah  bade  me  announce  to  (24  :  j-h) 
them  the  imminent  catastrophe.     Remembering  how  the 
conspirators  within  Jerusalem'  had  likened  their  stronghold 
to  a  kettle,  which  would  keep  its  contents  from  the  fire,  I 
too  adopted  the  symbol,  but  I  indicated  that  the  kettle, 
although  full  of  choice  portions  of  meat,  was  unfit  for  use, 
because  it  was  covered,  within  and  without,  with  rust. 

"  What  will  Jehovah  do,"  I  urged,  "  with  a  rusted  ket- 
tle, whose  foulness  all  can  see  ?  He  will  remove  its  con- 
tents, heap  fuel  on  the  fire  and  heat  the  empty  kettle  until 
it  is  cleansed  from  its  impurity.  Only  judgment  can  purge 
the  city  of  its  blood  guiltiness." 

No  sooner  had  I  delivered  this  message  than  a  more 
difficult  burden  was  laid  upon  me.     "  Mortal  one,"  said 

1  See  page  44. 

59 


Ezekiel  24 :  16-27 


Ezekiel's 
manner  of 
mourning 
for  his  wife 
a  symbol  of 
the  effect 
of  the  com- 
ing news 
upon  his  fel- 
low captives 
(24  :  15-24) 


Ezekiel  at 
last  recog- 
nized as 
Jehovah's 
prophet 
(24 :  25-27) 


Jehovah,  "  I  will  suddenly  bereave  you  of  your  beloved 
wife,  but  show  no  signs  of  grief,  and  mourn  not  in  pub- 
lic." That  very  night  she  died,  and,  with  bursting  heart, 
I  obeyed  the  strange  command.  When  my  friends  in- 
quired the  meaning  of  my  unwonted  action,  I  declared 
that  the  city  and  temple,  so  endeared  by  many  associations 
to  their  hearts,  were  to  be  profaned,  and  their  relatives, 
whom  they  loved,  were  to  perish.  So  crushing  would  be 
the  news  that  they  would  be  incapable  of  expressing  their 
grief. 

At  that  time  Jehovah's  servant,  Ezekiel,  would  again  be 
permitted  to  preach  in  public,  and  all  would  be  convinced 
that  he  had  truly  spoken  the  mind  of  Israel's  God. 


60 


PROPHECIES    OF     OBADIAH     AND 

EZEKIEL  AGAINST  FOREIGN 

NATIONS 


PROPHECIES     OF     OBADIAH     AND     EZE- 
KIEL    AGAINST    FOREIGN    NATIONS 


THE    LONG-EXPECTED    CATASTROPHE 

The  destruction  of  Jerusalem  was  an  event  of  signal 
importance  in  Hebrew  history.  As  a  catastrophe  it  was 
appalling,  for  it  marked  the  end,  not  only  of  a  reign 
and  a  dynasty,  but  also  of  a  nation.  It  was  even  more 
notable  as  a  turning  point  in  history.  It  closed  one  era 
and  opened  another.  It  inaugurated  more  than  a  period 
of  exile,  since  it  furnished  convincing  proof  that  the  new 
national  life,  should  that  ever  be  renewed,  must  be  wholly 
reorganized. 

The  historical  narrative  preserved  in  2  Kings  throws 
but  little  light  upon  the  political,  social  and  religious  con- 
ditions which  hastened  the  disaster.  It  is  rather  con- 
cerned with  the  event  itself.  From  the  impassioned  pre- 
dictions of  Jeremiah,  however,  and  from  the  impressive 
visions  and  symbols  of  Ezekiel,  may  be  discovered  the 
various  factors  which  co-operated  in  bringing  about  the 

63 


Obadiah  Messages  of  the 

downfall  of  the  old  national  life.  These  were  a  well-mean- 
ing, but  inefficient  king  (Jer,  37  :  15-21  ;  38  :  5),  under 
strong  obligation  to  maintain  his  political  fealty  (Ezek.  17) 
to  Nebuchadrezzar  ;  turbulent  and  reactionary  advisers, 
who  had  great  confidence  in  themselves  (Ezek.  11  :  1-3) 
and  w^ere  hostile  to  Jeremiah  and  his  party;  a  number 
of  false  prophets  who  encouraged  their  schemes  (Ezek. 
13  :  1-16;  22  :  28)  ;  and  a  people  blindly  confident  that 
Jehovah,  their  God,  would  put  forth  his  power,  so  grandly 
manifested  in  the  past  (Isa.  37),  to  save  his  city  and  tem- 
ple ;  a  nation  restless  under  the  heavy  Babylonian  yoke 
and  willing  to  try  the  experiment  of  revolt,  if  opportunity 
offered.  Thus  disposed,  the  Jews  were  easily  stirred  by 
quiet  proffers  of  aid  from  Egypt.  The  spirit  of  rebellion 
spread  like  a  forest  fire.  Even  the  lofty  cedar,  as  Ezekiel, 
perhaps  with  a  touch  of  irony,  calls  King  Zedekiah,  yielded 
to  its  fury.  About  588  B.  C,  Judah,  in  coalition  with  one 
or  two  petty  principalities  of  Palestine,  renounced  alle- 
giance to  Babylonia. 

Nebuchadrezzar  did  not,  apparently,  hasten  to  crush 
this  revolt,  yet  his  policy  in  regard  to  it  could  have  been 
anticipated.  Upon  the  tranquillization  of  the  territory 
bordering  the  Great  Sea  depended  both  the  continuance, 
unharassed,  of  the  overland  trade,  which  vitally  affected 
the  prosperity  of  great  sections  of  his  empire,  and  the 
achievement  of  his  future  schemes  of  Egyptian  conquest. 
Judah's  restless  and  ambitious  population,  protected  by  a 
64 


Later  PropJuts  Obadiah 

fortress  of  unusual  strength,  constituted  a  never  ending 
source  of  uneasiness  to  the  overlord.  According  to  the 
standards  of  the  day,  he  had  acted,  ten  years  before,  with 
reasonableness  and  moderation,  v^'hen  he  had  merely  de- 
ported the  politically  dangerous  elements  of  the  popula- 
tion to  Babylonia  and  left  the  state  intact  with  a  member 
of  the  royal  family  on  the  throne.  According  to  the  same 
standards  there  remained  no  option  to  him  except  to  put 
an  end  to  the  existence  of  the  Hebrew  people.  A  prompt 
submission  on  their  part  might  possibly  have  been  ac- 
cepted, but  an  organized  resistance  could  have  but  one 
termination. 

In  due  time  Nebuchadrezzar  assembled  an  army  for  the 
Palestinian  campaign.  The  prophet  Ezekiel  (21  :  18-22) 
vividly  pictures  the  king  as  consulting  the  omens,  on 
reaching  the  borders  of  Gilead,  to  determine  whether  he 
should  first  attack  Rabbah  of  Ammon  or  Jerusalem. 
Deciding  to  besiege  Jerusalem,  he  crossed  the  Jordan,  in- 
vested the  city,  and  ravaged  the  territory  far  and  near 
(Jer.  34  :  7).  Too  late  King  Zedekiah  and  his  counsel- 
lors realized  the  gravity  of  the  situation.  They  inquired 
of  Jeremiah  what  the  outcome  would  be  (Jer.  21  :  i-io; 
34  :  1-7),  and  attempted  spasmodic  reforms  (Jer.  34  :  8-10). 
True  for  once  to  his  pledge,  the  Pharaoh  sent  an  army 
against  Nebuchadrezzar,  who  raised  the  siege  of  Jerusa- 
lem for  a  while,  and  marched  to  meet  his  foe.  Suppos- 
ing they  were  saved,  the  godless  nobles  of  Jerusalem  re- 

^-5 


Obadiah  Messages  of  the 

vealed  their  consummate  hypocrisy  by  promptly  annulling 
the  reforms  they  had  just  proclaimed.  To  their  dismay 
the  great  Egyptian  army  was  soon  put  to  flight,  and  the 
victors  encamped  again  around  the  doomed  city.  Its 
miserable  inhabitants  resisted  with  all  the  stoicism  of  de- 
spair. Soon,  however,  the  horrors  of  famine  and  pestilence 
were  added  to  the  usual  dangers  of  the  siege.  The  con- 
dition of  the  populace  during  the  six  months  before  the 
capture  was  pitiable  in  the  extreme  (Lam.  2  :  19-22).  At 
last,  in  July  586  B.  C. ,  the  besiegers  affected  a  breach  in  the 
northern  wall  and  poured  into  the  city.  Zedekiah  and 
a  handful  of  warriors  escaped  by  way  of  an  unwatched 
private  gate  and  fled  toward  the  Jordan,  but  were  over- 
taken at  Jericho  and  carried  before  the  great  king,  where 
he  was  forced  to  witness  the  slaughter  of  his  sons  and  of 
his  chief  men,  and  then  condemned  to  blindness  and  cap- 
tivity. 

After  a  month's  delay,  during  which  the  ill-fated  city 
was  freely  plundered  by  the  brutal  soldiery,  Nabuzaradan, 
a  royal  officer  of  high  rank,  was  deputed  to  complete  the 
work  of  destruction.  He  took  away  all  the  valuable  booty 
that  was  left,  set  on  fire  the  temple,  the  palace,  and  the 
mansions  of  the  wealthy  nobles,  and  broke  down  the  city 
walls.  Soon  nothing  was  left  of  the  once  splendid  city 
but  uninhabitable  ruins. 


66 


Later  Prophets  Obadiah 

II 

obadiah's  diatribe  against  edom 
I.  Edoni's  Hereditary  Relations  with  Judah 

From  the  dawn  of  Israel's  history  as  a  nation  there  was 
traditional  enmity  between  the  Hebrews  and  the  Edomites. 
Of  all  the  foes  with  whom  Israel  had  to  contend,  these 
were  the  most  implacable  and  untiring.  Only  a  strong 
hand  availed  to  keep  them  in  retirement  and  subjection. 
The  traditions  of  the  wilderness  wanderings,  preserved  in 
Numbers  and  Deuteronomy,  convey  the  impression  that 
Edom  was  hostile  from  the  very  beginning  of  their  con- 
tact, desiring  to  hold  no  relations  of  amity  with  their 
kinsfolk.  Saul  fought  against  the  Edomites,  and  David 
made  a  complete  conquest  of  their  land.  From  Jehoram, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  later,  they  successfully  re- 
volted. Reconquered  again  by  Amaziah  and  Uzziah  about 
760  B.  C,  they  soon  regained  their  freedom  and  thereafter 
maintained  it. 

Between  the  two  nations  there  was  really  nothing  in 
common,  except  that  they  were  both  Semitic  peoples.  Like 
Jacob  and  Esau,  they  were  natural  antagonists.  The  rel- 
ative supremacy  of  the  Israelites  for  many  generations 
gave  a  vindictiveness  to  the  enmity  of  Edom  which  made 
it  sleepless  and  bitter.  The  prophet  Amos  denounces 
67 


Obadiah  Messages  of  the 

the  sister  nation  because  "  he  kept  his  wrath  forever." 
This  smouldering  hatred,  ever  ready  to  break  out  into  a 
blaze,  had  a  unique  opportunity  in  Judah's  day  of  shame, 
of  which  the  Edomites  seem  to  have  taken  full  advantage. 
Lining  the  hill-tops  round  about  Jerusalem,  they  jeered  at 
the  hapless  captives  marching  by,  cut  down  without  mercy 
the  fugitives  which  they  met,  and  had  their  share  in  the 
plundering  of  the  country.  Moreover,  they  promptly 
pushed  their  way  up  into  southern  Judah,  making  it  a 
part  of  their  own  land. 

The  Edomites  were  the  more  aggressive  because  they 
felt  perfectly  secure  from  retribution.  Their  stronghold 
and  capital,  Petra,  in  the  heart  of  the  Mount  Seir  range,  was 
a  remarkable  retreat.  An  irregular,  well-watered  valley, 
a  mile  or  two  in  length,  shut  in  by  lofty  cliffs,  and  ap- 
proached from  the  desert  by  a  long,  narrow  winding 
gorge,  afforded  a  site  which  was  not  only  capable  of  easy 
defence,  but  adapted,  by  the  soft  quality  of  the  rocky  cliffs, 
for  the  excavation  of  dwellings  in  the  hill-side.  Protected 
by  such  a  stronghold,  the  sturdy  warriors  had  long  levied 
tribute  on  the  caravan  traffic  with  South  Arabia  and  with 
Egypt,  and  had  made  themselves  rich  as  well  as  inde- 
pendent. How  soon  these  conditions  were  broken  up  by 
the  irresistible  advance  of  the  Nabathaean  Arabs  cannot 
certainly  be  affirmed.  The  retribution  which  the  prophet 
looked  for  was  probably  not  long  delayed. 

The  prophet  Obadiah,  of  whom  otherwise  we    know 


Later  Prophets  Obadiah  i 

nothing,  gives  expression  to  the  outraged  feelings  of  the 
exiled  Hebrews,  as  they  thought  of  Edom's  base  and 
spiteful  mockery  of  the  helpless  captives.  Yet  he  uttered 
no  mere  invective,  but  takes  the  broader  ground  that 
Edom  is  but  a  type  of  the  hostile  influences  now  block- 
ing Israel's  progress,  but  destined  to  give  way  before  her. 
The  book  itself,  although  so  brief,  raises  some  interest- 
ing problems.  Its  opening  verses  are  so  clearly  parallel 
to  passages  in  Jeremiah  49  :  7-22  as  to  force  the  con- 
clusion that  they  had  a  common  origin.  It  is  quite  gen- 
erally held  that  Obadiah,  and  perhaps  Jeremiah  too,  make 
use  of  an  earlier  prophecy  against  Edom.  Obadiah 
merely  introduces  his  theme  by  repeating  a  part  of  this 
oracle.  The  geographical  hints  of  the  closing  verses  are 
held  by  many  scholars  to  prove  the  late  post-exilic  date  of 
the  prophecy,  but  the  spirited  references  to  the  scenes  that 
followed  Jerusalem's  capture  seem  to  point  to  a  period 
not  very  remote. 

2.  Edoui's  Apparent  Triumph  to  be  Reversed 
(Obadiah  1-21) 

Fellow-Israelites,  let  us  not  be  disheartened  and  hope- 
less in  this  day  of  humiliation  and  anguish,  but  rather 
think  of  the  coming  day  of  recompense.  Recall  the  pre- 
diction, so  familiar  to  us  all,  regarding  boastful  Edom. 
Though  still  unfulfilled,  Jehovah  will  yet  make  it  a  reality. 

A  divine   sanction   is   behind   the   summons,   sent  far 

69 


Obadiah  2 


Messages  of  tJie 


The  tribes 

aroused 

against 

Edom 

(I) 


Jehovah  wil 
humble  its 
pride 
(2-4) 


Edom  to  be 
utteriy 
spoiled 
(5,6) 


And  ex- 
pelled by  her 
allies 
(7) 


Edom's  re- 
sources of 
no  avail 
(8,9) 


and  wide  to  the  tribes  of  Arabia,  to  assemble  for  war 
against  the  haughty  Edomites.  O  arrogant  nation,  trust- 
ing in  the  security  of  your  rock-hewn  city  and  vaunting 
yourself  among  your  neighbors,  your  opponent  is  no 
weak  commander,  but  Jehovah  himself.  Were  you  as 
strong  as  Babylon  and  as  inaccessible,  his  power  could 
reach  you.  He  will  not  only  frustrate  your  plans  for  future 
conquest  but  will  make  you  a  humble  vassal  of  your  trib- 
utaries.* 

Sad  enough  would  your  plight  be,  if  this  were  only  a 
raid  organized  for  plunder,  for  spoilers  may  be  sated  with 
booty.  As  when  grape-gatherers  strip  a  vineyard  some 
clusters  are  overlooked,  so  your  enemies  might  spare  some 
treasures  to  you.  What  a  spoliation,  however,  there  will 
be  !  No  part  of  your  land  will  be  exempt  from  search. 
You  shall  be  expelled,  O  Edom,  by  the  very  ones  on  whom 
you  rely.  Those  with  whom  you  have  made  a  covenant 
shall  treat  you  with  mingled  treachery  and  violence. 
They  have  been  leading  ^  you  on  to  your  own  destruction. 
How  obtuse  you  are  not  to  perceive  this  ! 

In  the  day  of  divine  retribution  your  sages,  celebrated 
far  and  wide  for  their  wisdom,  shall  be  incapable  of  sug- 
gesting the  least  expedient  for  defence  ;  while  the  hardy 
warriors,  who  have  been  your  boast  because  of  their  cour- 


'  The   perfects  in  this  verse  and  the  following  may  be   treated  as  very 
vivid  forecasts  of  the  future. 

'  The  phrase  "  they  that  eat  thy  bread  "  is  probably  to  be  omitted. 
70 


Later  Prophets  Obadiah  19 

age  and  strength,  shall  become  timid  and  irresolute,  an 
easy  prey  to  the  sword  of  your  enemies. 

The  curse  of  God  will  surely  be  upon  you,  O  Edom,  Her  treach- 
because  of  your  outrageous  and  merciless  violence  and  cause  ^ 
unseemly  rejoicing  over   the   misfortunes  of  your  sister  ^^'*"^'*^ 
nation,  Judah.     You  identified  yourself  with  her  enemies, 
seizing  the  opportunity  for   plunder   and   murder.     Can 
Jehovah  fail  to  exact  in  full  the  penalty  due  for  such  un- 
faithfulness? 

Jehovah's  day  of  recompense  draws  near   for  all  the  She  shall 
world.     On  that  day,  O  Edom,  your  deeds  will  receive  fu"meed  of 
the  punishment  which  is  their  due.     As  you,  my  country-  P""'j5{"^"* 
men  who  inhabit  the  mountain  consecrated  by  my  pres- 
ence, have  not  escaped  the  cup  of  my  chastising  wrath,  so 
shall  all  nations  be  obliged  to  drink  of  this  cup,  not,  in- 
deed, with  a  passing  draught,  as  you  have  done,  but  con- 
tinuously, until  they  have  drained  it  to  the  dregs.     Then 
shall  they  be  utterly  forgotten. 

The  holy  land  of  Judah,  on  the  contrary,  shall  become  Israel  will 

,  ,       ,         -  f        T    ,  ,  .  .       return  and 

the  abode  of  peace,  a  true  sanctuary  for  Jehovah  s  people,  destroy 
When  we  return  from  this  exile  we  shall  repossess  our  ^^^!^^) 
ancient  dominion.     As  a  flame  devours  dry  stubble,  so 
speedily  and  completely  shall  we  drive  out  of  our  homes 
and  destroy  the  children  of  Edom. 

Then  will  cease  the  ignoble  conditions  which  now  pre-  And  obtain 
vail.     No  longer  will  our  foes  from  every  quarter  be  in  allVaiestine 
possession  of  the  soil  of  Judah.     Those  Jews  who  settle  ^'^' ^°^ 
71 


Obadiah  19  Messages  of  the 

down  in  their  old  homes  in  the  extreme  south  will  add  to 
their  territory  the  land  of  Edom  ;  those  who  inhabit  the 
low  mountain  ranges  west  of  Judah  will  rule  all  Philis- 
tia  ;  the  men  of  the  hill  country  of  Judah  '  will  control 
the  mountains  and  plains  of  Samaria  and  Galilee,  while  to 
Benjamin  will  fall  the  great  and  fertile  grazing  land  east 
of  Jordan.  Thus  shall  Palestine  again  revert  to  its  law- 
ful owners.  Wherever  an  Israelite  may  have  been  carried 
he  shall  find  a  happy  home  within  the  borders  of  the  land. 
From  time  to  time  great  national  leaders  shall  be  raised 
up,  as  in  the  days  of  old,  to  fight  Jehovah's  battles,  sub- 
due all  his  enemies,  and  rule  them  in  accordance  with  his 
will.  At  that  time,  when  our  foes  have  become  our  friends, 
all  will  be  united  in  obedience  and  service  to  Jehovah. 


Ill 

THE  STAND-POINT    OF    EZEKIEL's    FOREIGN    PROPHE- 
CIES 

The  predictions  of  judgments  against  foreign  nations 
constitute  a  puzzling  feature  of  Hebrew  prophecy  un- 
til the  reader  understands  the  motives  which  prompted 
them.  If  interpreted  as  expressions  of  national  vanity  or 
jealousy,  or  as  outbursts  of  vindictiveness,  they  are  grossly 
misunderstood.      Nor  are  they  mere  assertions  of  a  just 

'  The  Septuagint  version  thus  interprets  the  indefinite  word  "  they." 
72 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

retribution  for  injuries  inflicted  upon  the  Israelitish  nation. 
As  in  the  hot-blooded  message  of  Obadiah,  there  is  always 
a  broader  theme  than  that  of  mere  revenge  ;  it  is  the  cer- 
tain movement  of  events  in  the  future  under  the  guidance 
of  Jehovah's  sovereign  will  that  the  prophets  are  forthtell- 

ing. 

Such  prophecies  as  these  are  found  among  the  messages 
of  Amos,  Isaiah,  Nahum,  and  Jeremiah.  They  merely  voice 
a  standing  theme  of  every  prophet,  the  authority  of -Jeho- 
vah of  Israel  over  all  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  the  uni- 
formity of  his  principles  of  judgment.  It  is  interesting  to 
note  that  these  oracles,  although  addressed  directly  to  the 
outside  world,  are,  for  the  most  part,  intended  for  the 
prophet's  own  countrymen.  They  are  often  to  be  de- 
scribed as  words  of  consolation  rather  than  of  denuncia- 
tion. They  declare  that  the  evils  which  Jehovah  has  con- 
demned in  his  own  people,  he  cannot  fail  to  punish  wher- 
ever manifested.  As  an  assertion  of  the  supreme  sov- 
ereignty of  Jehovah,  Israel's  God,  over  the  universe,  of  his 
attitude  to  other  nations  than  Israel,  and  of  his  one  great 
purpose  to  redeem  the  world,  they  are  highly  significant. 
As  affording  suggestions  respecting  the  geographical 
knowledge  of  a  student  of  affairs  in  Babylonia  in  the  sixth 
century  B.  C,  these  prophecies  of  Ezekiel  are  of  unusual 
value.  In  characterizing  the  traits  of  contemporary  peoples, 
they  are  often  apt  and  witty. 

These  particular  utterances  assume  that  the  fall  of  Jeru- 

73 


Ezekiel  25  :  i  Messages  of  the 

salem  is  known  to  the  nations  addressed,  which  are  situ- 
ated near  the  land  of  Judah.  They  are  grouped  in  a  nat- 
ural arrangement  and  have  evidently  been  placed,  with 
literary  propriety,  between  the  prophecies  relating  to  the 
downfall  of  the  city  and  those  which  have  to  do  with  the 
upbuilding  of  the  exiled  nation. 

IV 

THE    PREDICTIONS   OF    EZEKIEL    AGAINST    FOREIGN 
NATIONS    (25   to  32) 

I.  Prophecies  against  Judah'' s  hninediate Neighbors  (25) 

Fellow-Israelites,  Jehovah  has  revealed  to  me  his  sover- 
eign will  regarding  the  nations  on  our  borders,  whose  true 
attitude  toward  us  and  toward  him  these  days  of  our  hu- 
miliation have  made  known. 
Ammon  Against  our  late  allies,  the  sons  of  Ammon,  whose  joy 

shall  pass  in-  ,.  .       ,        ,  ,  , 

to  oblivion  was  undisguiscd  when  our  sanctuary  was  profaned,  our 
(25  :  1-7)  land  pillaged,  and  our  people  made  captives,  he  pronounces 
the  judgment  of  national  extinction.  The  ruins  of  the 
splendid  city  of  Rabbah  shall  serve  as  a  stable  for  the 
camels  of  the  wandering  Arabs,  and  the  whole  land  shall 
become  a  pasturage  for  their  flocks.  A  nation  so  devoid 
of  the  impulses  of  true  friendship  deserves  only  oblivion. 
Against  Moab  '  his  sentence  is  less  severe.   Her  scofifing 

1  The  words  "and  Selr  "  should  be  omitted.     Edom  is  mentioned  later. 

74 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  26  :  2 

glee  over  the  thought  that  Judah  has  been  proven  by  her  Moab  siiaii 
misfortunes  to  be  no  better  than  other  nations,  deserves  a  ^"^*"^ 


invasion 


stern  rebuke.     Her  border  fortresses,  so  long  an  impene-^^^:  s-ii) 
trable  barrier  against  the  Arab  raiders,  shall  no  longer 
serve  their  purpose.     From  Ammon's  fate  she  shall  be 
spared,  but  the  plundering  hordes  shall  execute  a  retribu- 
tion which  all  will  recognize  as  coming  from  Jehovah. 

Since  Edom  has  ungenerously  seized  the  time  of  her  Edom  shall 
rival's  weakness  as  an  occasion  for  avenging  her  own  long-  ^y  judiih'^'^ 
cherished  wrongs,  Jehovah  will  empower  Judah  in  the  J'^/^^'^^ 
day  of  her  restoration  to  carry  out  an  exemplary  penalty. 
Edom  shall  be  made  a  desolation  from  one  end  of  the 
kingdom  to  the  other. 

Since  the  Philistines,  too,  have  yielded  to  their  passion  The  Phiiis- 
for  revenge  against  their  rulers,  Jehovah  declares  that  he  aSikted  ^ 
will  utterly  annihilate  them.  ^^5 :  15-17) 

2.  Prophecies  against  Phcenicia  (26  to  28) 
(l)    The  Coming  Destruction  of  Tyre  (26) 

Even  Tyre,  the  queen  of  the  sea,  has  earned  Jehovah's  The  sin  of 
displeasure  by  her  exultation  over  the  downfall  of  Judah.  seifisi^ess 
With  sordid  greed  for  gold  she  rejoices  that  in  her  in-  ^^^  •  ''  ^^ 
land  traffic  she  will  no  longer  have  a  rival  or  a  barrier. 
"  O  selfish  city,"  declares  Jehovah,  "  nations  will  come  to 
you  in  great  numbers,  but  not  for  trade.     They  shall  be- 
75 


Ezekiel  26  :  3  Messages  of  the 

Its  punish-    siege  and  capture  you,  destroy  your  defences,  and  leave 
(^6":  3-6)       an  unsightly  and  barren  rock,  fitted  only  for  drying  fisher- 
men's nets,  where  now  are  splendid  palaces." 
Nebuchad-        The   divinc    agent   shall   be    Nebuchadrezzar   and    his 

rezzar  to  be  .    ,  ^  ^       .  ,  ,  ,  , 

Jehovah's     mighty  army.     Havmg  destroyed  your   dependent  cities 

f£T^i^)     o"  the  coast,  he  will  persistently  lay  siege  to  you.     The 

day  will  come  when  the  hoofs  of  his  many  horses  shall 

raise  clouds  of  dust  in  the  streets  of  your  city,  w^hile  the 

rumbling  of  his  chariots  will  cause  the  very  walls  to  shake. 

Then  shall  he  slaughter  your  citizens,  throw   down    the 

famous  symbols  of  Melkarth,  and  give  you  up  to  spoil. 

In  that  day  you  will  have  no  heart  for  exultant  song,  for 

your  history  will  be  at  an  end. 

The  lament       With  what  dismay  and   fear  will  the  groans  of  your 

pendencies    dying  citizens   be  heard  throughout   your   colonies   and 

(26 ;  15-18)    ^j^Qj^g  yQ^jj.  allies.      Their  rulers,  with   every   outward 

sign  of  grief  and  horror,  shall  bewail  your  untoward  fate, 

saying : 

How  art  thou  vanished  from  the  sea, 

O  renowned  city ! 
Who  was  strong  through  the  sea 

She  and  her  inhabitants, 
How  didst  thou  impose  thy  terror 

On  all  her  inhabitants. 
Now  tremble  the  coastlands 

In  the  day  of  thy  fall. 
And  dismayed  are  the  isles  of  the  sea 

At  thy  departure. 

76 


Later  Prophets  Ezckicl  27  :  36 

Amply  will  their  grief  be  justified,  for  when  the  deep  The  catas- 
waters  have  swallowed  all  the  traces  of  your  once  power-  irretrievable 
ful  and  populous  city,  no  more  shall  you  have  a  place  and^^^*  ^^"^'^ 
name  in  the  land  of  the  living. 

(2)  A  Dirge  over  her  Doivnfall  (27) 

Who  would  not  mourn,  as  he  contemplates  the  ruin  of  Tyre  a 
the  mistress  of  the  seas,  the  imperial  city,  to  which  the  vess"enaden 
whole  world  has  paid  tribute !     Fitly  may  one  liken  you,  weaith^!f 
O  Tyre,  to  a  stately  trireme,  riding  proudly  at  anchor,  at-  nations 

01^  ^27  ;    1-25) 

tractive  to  the  eye,  built  of  the  choicest  woods  and  sumpt- 
uously furnished.  Skilled  mariners  of  every  nation  and 
mercenaries  from  the  remotest  quarters  of  the  earth  obey 
your  captains,  and  enable  them  to  bring  you  wealth. 
From  distant  Tarshish  to  Arabia  and  the  far  East  traders 
come  to  load  you  with  their  merchandise. 

Thus  deeply  laden,  while  on  your  voyage  in  the  open  Her  ship- 
sea,  a  wind  from  the  east  has  caused  you  to  founder.     All  Jj^f'^e,  27) 
your  cargo  and  crew  have  perished  in  the  sea,    Alas  !  what 
a  lamentation  arises  from  the  mariners  of  the  deep.    With  The  lament 
breaking  hearts  they  give  way  to  frenzied  exhibitions  of  nets  ^ '"''"" 
grief,  uttering  a  weird  wail '  for  the  proud  vessel,  laden  ^^^ "  ^^'^^^ 
with  attractive  wares,  once  serving  all  mankind,  but  now 
a  miserable  wreck. 

*  Verses  32-36  are  in  elegiac  metre. 


77 


Ezekiel  28  :  i 


Messages  of  the 


Presumpt- 
uous self- 
exaltation 
deserves  a 
humiliating 
punishment 
(28  :  i-io) 


Tyre's 
violence  and 
wickedness 
the  reason 
for  her 
destruction 
(28  :  11-19) 


(3)   Tyre's  Opportunity  and  Well-deserved  Fate  (28  :  1-19) 

Against  the  prince  of  Tyre  Jehovah  announces  his 
judgment.  "  Because  of  your  wonderful  success  in  gath- 
ering wealth  and  skill  in  producing  objects  of  use  and 
beauty,  and  cleverness  in  making  your  situation  so  secure, 
you  have  come  to  think  yourself  as  wise  and  powerful 
and  great  as  God.  Such  impious  self-exaltation  cannot  go 
unpunished.  These  very  possessions  in  which  you  glory 
shall  effect  your  ruin.  By  brutal  Babylonian  soldiers  you 
shall  be  humiliated  and  spoiled  and  given  a  dishonored 
grave. 

"  How  appropriate,  then,  a  lament  over  you  !  Once  you 
were  worthy  in  your  glorious  perfection  to  live  with  heav- 
enly beings  in  the  garden  of  God,  adorned  with  costly 
jewels  and  gold  ;  but  you  lost  God's  favor  because  your 
pride  was  so  overweening  and  because  you  did  not  hesi- 
tate at  violence  and  outrage  in  your  dealings  with  mankind. 
He  will  cast  you  from  your  throne  of  power  ;  as  a  fire  un- 
expectedly bursting  forth  consumes  to  ashes  that  which 
feeds  it,  so  shall  your  sin  become  your  own  destruction." 


Sidon  shall 
yet  revere 
Jehovah 
(28  :  20-23) 


(4)  The  Fate  of  Sidon  (28  :  20-26) 

For  Sidon,  also,  Jehovah  has  a  message  of  judgment. 
Punished  by  pestilence  and  bloody  invasion,  she  shall 
come  to  acknowledge  that  he  is  the  great  and  holy  Ruler 
of  the  universe.     Then  shall  Israel  at  last  be  freed  from 

78 


Later  Prophets  Ezckicl  29  :  i6 

the  interference  and  humiliatine:  experience  which  have  Then  Isra.i 

will  attai'i 

thwarted  and  crippled  and  harassed  her  during  the  centu-  her  true  do- 
ries past.     When  her  Shepherd  brings  back  his  scattered  (^aVr^J^^^i 
flock  and  pastures  his  people  once  more  in  the  fair  fields 
of  Palestine,  they  shall  be  free  to  live  a  life  of  true  and 
loyal  service. 


3.  Prophecies  against  Egypt  (29  to  32) 
(i)  Egypt  to  be  Humbled  to  the  Dust  {2^  :  1-16  ;   30  :  I -19) 
Not  long  before  Jerusalem's  fall,  while  many  were  still  Eg>'pt  the 

<=>  ■'  -'  crocodile  of 

cherishing  a  hope  that  the  Pharaoh  might  possibly  extend  the  Nile,  to 
some  aid  to  the  beleaguered  city,  I  received  this  prophetic  "dik's  fSe' 
word  :     "  Jehovah's  curse  is  against  the  arrogant  dweller  ^^^  "  ^"^^ 
by  the  Nile  who,  like  the  huge  crocodile  of  his  river,  im- 
agines himself  to  be  the  creator  of  that  which  he  enjoys. 
The  Lord  will  drag  him  out  of  his  beloved  river  and  leave 
him  on  the  banks  to  die,  a  prey  for  birds  and  beasts. 
Egypt  shall  be  thus  treated  because  she  has  ever  invited 
the  confidence  of  Israel  only  to  betray  it. 

"  To  punish  Egypt's  overweening  pride,  the  Almighty  Because  of 

...  ,  ,  ,  ,,.,..  •    1      1  •       1  her  boastful- 

will  transform    her  boasted  fertility  into  an    uninhabited  ness  and  real 

incapacity 
(29  :  8-12) 


desert  and  scatter  her  people,  far  and  wide.     For  a  gener-  '"<^^P?^'^y 


ation  shall  her  desolation  continue,  and  it  shall  be  universal.  „ 

'  Never  again 

Then  will  Jehovah  restore  the  nation  to  its  home,  but  not  to  be  a  lead- 
to  its  former  prominence.     It  shall  be  of  inferior  rank,  (29 :  13-16) 
79 


Ezekiel  30  :  i  Messages  of  the 

no  longer  able  to  delude  Israel  by  empty  boasts  of  power 
and  wealth,  and  to  tempt  her  to  distrust  her  God. 
The  day  of       "  Q  peoples,  raise  a  cry  of  lamentation,  for  Jehovah's 

Jehovah  will  ^       ^  r   j      i  i       r  ■    r  ii      r 

be  a  day  of  day  draws  near,  a  day  of  darkness  and  of  grief  to  all  of 
fo""Egypt"  his  foes.  Unto  Egypt  and  her  allies  it  will  be  a  day  of 
(30 :  1-9)       death  and  anguish.     She  shall  be  humbled  to  the  dust 

and   at  last  will   acknowledge   Jehovah  as   the  supreme 

power  in  the  universe. 
Nebuchad-        "  jehovah's  agent  of  judgment  will  be  the  mighty  Nebu- 


rezzar  wU 


perform  Je-  chadrczzar.  His  ruthless  and  invincible  warriors  will 
(aoTiii'^)  spread  ruin  and  desolation  throughout  the  land.  Egypt's 
ruling  classes  and  her  strong  cities  will  offer  no  effective 
opposition  to  their  advance,  and  her  young  men  will  be 
carried  off  as  slaves.  Then  Egypt's  pride  will  completely 
break  down  and  Jehovah  will  receive  honor  and  respect." 


(2)   The  Pharaoh  to  be  Crippled  (30  :  20-26) 

The  misfort-      When  Pharaoh  Hophra,  having  advanced  to  the  sup- 
Egypt  port  of  the  people  of  Judah,  had  been  repulsed  by  Nebu- 
(30 .  20-22)    ^j^^dj.g2zar  and  driven  home,  Jehovah  announced  through 
me  to  the  wondering  people  :     "  The  arm  of  Pharaoh  I 
have  caused  to  be  broken  ;  never  again  shall  it  wield  the 
Jehovah  will  sword.     His  other  arm,  too,  I  will  disable,  rendering  him 
crease"it       Utterly  incapable  of  self-defence.     Then  shall  his  pitiless 
(30 :  23-26)    adversary,  by  me  made  strong  for  combat,  give  him  his 
death-stroke.     His  people  I  will  disperse  far  and  wide." 
80 


Later  Proplicts  Ezekiel  32  :  i 


(3)  ^SyP^  ^^^^  Fallen  Cedar  (31) 

A  fitting  symbol  of  the  majesty  and  influence  of  ^gVP^^'^  ftffjj^^^^^r 
king  is  a  stately  cedar  '  of  Lebanon  of  towering  height  and  of  sufpass- 
with  spreading  branches  which  shelter  all  the  fowls  ofj^^.^j^^)^ 
air,  whose  roots  strike  deep  into  the  earth  and  drink  freely 
of  its  waters,  surpassing  all  other  trees  in  the  beauty  of 
its  foliage  and  form,  and  envied   even   by  the  trees   of 
Eden. 

So  overweening  is  your  pride,  O  Egyptian  cedar,  that  I'^J^^'^jj 
Jehovah  will  send  against  you  a  skilful  wielder  of  the  axe.  (gT^io-M) 
Soon  will  your  huge  trunk  lie  prostrate  across  the  moun- 
tain peaks  while  your  branches  fill  up  every  valley.  Those 
who  have  nestled  under  your  protection  will  make  haste 
to  desert  you.  May  your  fate  be  a  warning  against  im- 
pious self-exaltation  ! 

In  the  day  of  your  fall,  all  nature  will  feel  the  shock  Her  wel 

•'  -'  come  in 

and  be  moved  to  grief.     Those  who  have  preceded  you  to  sheoi 
the  realm  of  departed  shades  will  rejoice  because  you  have 
joined  them.     Superior  as  you  are,  you  must  go  down 
with  them  and  there  remain. 

(4)  Egypt's  Coitiing  Desolation  (32  :  1-16) 

O  king  of  Egypt,  so  long  regarded  by  many  nations  as 
a  devouring  masterful  lion,  Jehovah  will  prove  that  you 

1  The  subject  inverse  3  cannot  well  be  "  the  Assyrian,"  but  was  probably 
originally  indefinite. 

81 


come  in 

Sheol 

(31 :  1S-18) 


Ezekiel  32  :  i  Messages  of  the 

The  capture  are  rather  like  the  powerful  crocodile  of  your  rivers,  active 
The  river-  °  in  display  of  strength,  but  successful  only  in  fouling  the 
^""pj^'''  waters  in  which  you  live.  He  will  capture  you  in  his  net 
(32 : 1-6)  and  expose  your  carcass  to  the  birds  and  beasts  of  prey. 
Your  huge  bulk  will  fill  the  earth,  and  the  rivers  will  run 
red  with  your  blood. 
The  effect  All  crcation  will  be  stirred  by  the  news  of  your  death, 
kmity  upon  The  sun  in  mid-heaven  shall  be  eclipsed,  the  moon  and 
mankind"*^  stars  shall  withhold  their  light.  Dismay  and  terror  shall 
(32 : 7-10)     fill  every  human  heart,  when  they  see  a  just  retribution 

overtake  you. 

The  com-  This   will   Jchovah  accomplish  by  the  sword  of  King 

the^mfr  °    Nebuchadrezzar  and  his  invincible  warriors.     Every  living 

(32:11-16)    creature  shall  they  sweep  away.     The  streams  of  Egypt, 

untroubled  by  the  foot  of  man  or  beast,  shall  run  smooth 

as  oil.     The  once  powerful  and  populous  country  shall 

become  a  desolation,  bewailed  by  all  nations. 

(5)   The  Dirge  for  the  Dead  (32  :  17-32) 
Egypt's.  Let  this  dirge  be  sung  at  the  burial  of  Pharach  and 

humiliation       ,,  ,  .     ,  ^^  .  i  i  11 

in  the  all  his  host.     "  Do  you  go  down  to  the  underworld  expect- 

"3"2^rTJ^.°2of  ing  to  receive  that  deference  which  you  have  always  ex- 
acted ?  The  heroes  who  are  honored  among  the  shades 
will  meet  you  when  you  appear  and  direct  you  to  take 
your  place  among  the  dishonored  dead  in  the  lowest  por- 
tion of  the  pit. 
"  There  will  you  find  your  predecessors,  terror-inspiring 
82' 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 


29 


Assyria,  fierce  and  brutal  Elam,  the  violent  and  blood-  she  will  he 
thirsty  nations  of  the  north.     Theirs  is  not  the  enviable  lot  by"her ''' 
of  the  heroes  of  old  who  went  down  to    Sheol  in  their  H^^^^l^-y 
panoply  of  war,  buried  with  all  appropriate  rites.     Edom 
also  and  Syria  and  Phoenicia,  those  who  perish  in  battle, 
will   bear  their  humiliation  along   with    the   rest   in  the 
lowest  abode  of  the  shades.     At  the  sight  of  these  com- 
panions in  misery  you  will  be  reconciled  to  your  lot." 

(6)   Egypt  to  be  Nebuchadrezzar^ s  Reward {2^  :  17-21) 

Sixteen  years  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  when  the  thir-  Ezekiel's 
teen  years'  siege  of  Tyre  by  Nebuchadrezzar  had  come  to  p^rophecy 
a  disappointing  end,  the  prophet  presented  a   modified 
explanation  of  Jehovah's  purpose  against  Tyre  and  Egypt. 

**  Nebuchadrezzar,    my  servant,  has  labored  earnestly  Egypt 
in  my  behalf  against  Tyre.      His  warriors  are  worn  and  ^^^ar^^'s^^' 
weary,  yet  they  have  received  no  pay  for  their  toil.     Lo,  [|;^H',^  ^^"^ 
the  land  of  Egypt  shall  be  their  recompense  !     They  shall  service 
take  its  spoil  and  enslave  its  people.     When  Egypt  is  thus  ^\ylT 
humiliated,  Israel  will  once  again  become  strong  and  my  ^^^'^^"^^^ 
prophetic  teachings  will  be  honored  by  all." 


83 


JEREMIAH'S      MESSAGE      TO      THE 
JEWISH     FUGITIVES   IN    EGYPT 


JEREMIAH'S  MESSAGE   TO    THE  JEWISH 
FUGITIVES  IN    EGYPT 


THE    REMNANTS    OF    THE    JEWISH     NATION     IN     THE 
LAND    OF    EGYPT 

The  deportations  of  597  and  586  B.  C.  carried  only  a 
fraction  of  the  total  population  of  Judah  to  Babylon.  Of 
those  who  survived  the  horrors  of  the  sword,  of  famine,  and 
of  pestilence,  probably  the  greater  number  were  found 
m  the  land  of  the  Nile.  Egypt  had  encouraged  the 
Judeans  repeatedly  to  revolt  against  Babylon,  and  thus 
had  lured  the  southern  Hebrew  kingdom  on  to  its  final 
ruin,  as  it  had  the  northern  a  century  earlier;  and  yet  of 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  it  alone  offered  a  friendly 
asylum  to  the  Jews  in  the  hour  of  their  mortal  agony. 
It  was  also  easily  accessible  from  Palestine  and  there- 
fore doubly  attractive  to  exiles  seeking  a  place  of  refuge 
where  they  might  abide  until  the  storm  was  over  and 
they  could  return  to  their  beloved  land. 

As  early  as  597  B.  C.  a  large  proportion  of  the  race 
had  already  found  homes  in  Egypt  (Jer.  24 :  8'').  When, 
87 


Jeremiah  ^Messages  of  the 

in  586  B.  C,  it  became  evident  to  every  enlightened 
citizen  of  Judah  that  the  final  disaster  was  imminent 
undoubtedly  thousands  more  joined  them  there.  A  little 
later,  when  the  Jewish  kingdom,  which  had  been  estab- 
lished with  its  capital  at  Mizpah,  came  to  an  untimely 
end  because  of  the  treacherous  murder  of  its  governor 
Gedaliah,  the  survivors,  notwithstanding  the  earnest  ex- 
hortations of  Jeremiah,  turned  to  Egypt.  The  prospect 
of  living  in  a  land  where  they  should  "  see  no  war,  nor 
hear  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  nor  have  hunger  of  bread  " 
(Jer.  42:14)  was  too  strong  a  temptation  to  be  resisted. 
Jeremiah's  warnings  that  these  evils  would  overtake 
them  there,  and  his  assurances  that  the  Babylonians 
would  treat  them  justly  if  they  remained  in  Judah,  were 
of  no  avail. 

The  nobles  and  military  commanders  of  the  little  Jew- 
ish state,  with  the  men,  women,  and  children,  with  the 
princesses  of  the  royal  Judean  house,  with  Jeremiah  and 
his  scribe  Baruch,  migrated  as  a  body  to  Egypt.  At 
Tahpanhes,  the  classical  Daphnse  and  the  modern  De- 
fenneh,  on  its  easternmost  borders,  the  colony  established 
itself.  In  many  ways  the  location  of  their  new  place  of 
abode  must  have  been  satisfactory  to  the  Jews,  for  their 
former  homes  could  be  reached  by  a  journey  of  a  day 
or  two,  and  they  were  right  on  the  great  highway  which 
ran  from  Egypt  to  Palestine  and  the  East. 

The  population  of  Tahpanhes,  as  we  learn  from  He- 
88 


Later  Prophets  Jeremiah 

rodotus  and  the  results  of  the  excavations  which  have  been 
made  in  its  ruins,  was  exceedingly  cosmopolitan.  While 
the  reigning  Pharaohs  of  Egypt  had  a  royal  residence  in 
this  eastern  outpost  of  their  empire,  which  they  probably 
visited  at  rare  intervals,  Greek  and  Semitic  influences  were 
probably  stronger  in  the  life  of  the  city  than  the  native 
Egyptian.  Thus  the  Jews  did  not  come  into  very  close 
contact  with  the  religion  of  the  new  land  of  their  adop- 
tion, and  were  free  to  worship  unmolested  the  gods  whom 
they  pleased.  The  dangers  which  threatened  their  faith, 
as  Jeremiah's  sermons  indicate,  came  not  from  without, 
but  from  within.  They  had  few  religious  teachers,  for 
most  of  the  priests  and  prophets  of  their  nation  had  been 
carried  away  by  the  Babylonians.  The  refugees  in  Egypt, 
therefore,  were  the  rank  and  file  of  the  nation.  Their 
faith  was  that  of  the  masses,  which,  as  has  been  noted  in 
the  study  of  the  earlier  prophets,  differed  widely  from  that 
of  their  inspired  religious  guides.  They  had  never  out- 
grown the  old  heathen  superstitions,  and  the  reactionary 
reigns  of  Jehoiakim  and  Zedekiah  had  confirmed  them  in 
the  imperfect  faith  of  their  fathers.  In  their  ignorance 
they  also  interpreted  the  disaster  which  had  cast  down  their 
nation  as  evidence  of  Jehovah's  weakness  and  neglect. 
Hence  it  was  natural  that  in  their  blindness  they  should 
endeavor  to  win  the  favor  of  the  old  Semitic  gods.  The 
Queen  of  Heaven,  whose  worship  had  been  prevalent  in 
Jerusalem  in  the  days  of  Jehoiakim,  was  one  of  the  most 

89 


Jeremiah  Messages  of  the 

popular  of  these  heathen  deities.  Herodotus  states  that 
this  cult  was  common  among  the  Assyrians  and  Arabs, 
and  identifies  the  Queen  of  Heaven  with  the  Assyrian 
goddess  of  love  Ishtar,  the  Greek  Aphrodite  (i.  131).  The 
prominence  of  the  Jewish  women  in  her  worship  (Jer. 
44: 17)  tends  to  confirm  this  identification. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  Jeremiah  had  preached  un- 
ceasingly, in  the  face  of  apathy  and  bitter  opposition, 
against  the  sins  of  his  people.  The  sweeping  misfortunes 
which  had  overtaken  them  were  due  entirely  to  their  fail- 
ure to  heed  his  plain  warnings.  Contrary  to  his  advice 
his  associates  had  gone  to  Egypt.  Their  attitude  toward 
him  was  one  of  contempt  and  defiance.  Tradition  asserts 
that  they  ultimately  put  him  to  death.  Certainly  from  a 
human  point  of  view  by  his  life-long  martyrdom  he  had 
nobly  earned  a  quiet  old  age ;  but,  while  he  was  human, 
he  was  also  a  divinely  commissioned  prophet,  so  that,  as 
long  as  his  countrymen  made  mistakes  and  sinned,  he 
could  not  keep  silence.  His  latest  sermons  reflect  the 
same  supreme  devotion  and  zeal  and  courage  as  do  those 
of  his  youth. 

He  probably  recognized  that,  although  the  mind  and 
soul  of  his  race  were  in  Babylon,  its  physical  strength, 
which  was  equally  essential  for  the  national  reconstruction 
to  which  the  true  prophets  looked  forward  with  certainty, 
was  to  be  sought  in  Egypt.  There  were  found  thousands 
of  Jews  able  and  eager  to  return  and  join  the  struggling 
90 


Later  Prophets  Jeremiah  43  :  lo 

few  who  had  remained  behind  in  Judah  in  reviving  the 
body  politic,  whenever  conditions  seemed  favorable.  Of 
all  the  exiles  in  Egypt,  of  those  located  at  Migdol, 
Memphis,  and  Pathros  (southern  Egypt),  as  well  as  at 
Tahpanhes,  Jeremiah  was  the  pastor,  just  as  Ezekiel  was 
of  those  in  the  East.  The  brief  record  of  his  work  in 
Egypt  introduces  us  to  a  most  important,  but  otherwise 
unwritten,  chapter  of  Jewish  history.  Without  his  faithful 
ministrations  men  might  not  have  been  found  equal  to  the 
supreme  sacrifice  which  was  demanded  of  those  unknown 
patriots  who  first  came  back  without  resources  and  with- 
out influence  to  rebuild  the  waste  places  of  Judah. 


II 

PREDICTIONS    AND     SOLEMN     WARNINGS 

(43  :  8  to  44  :  30) 

I.   The  Coming  Co7iquest  of  Egypt  by  Nebuchadrezzar 
(43:8-13) 

Soon  after  the  arrival  of  the  Jewish  refugees  at  Tahpan-  The  sign  I 

hes,  Jeremiah  was  divinely  led  in  their  presence  to  take  (43 :  s,  9)  ' 

great  stones  and  imbed  them  in  the  raised  platform,  or 
viastaba,  in  front  of  the  royal  residence  of  the  Pharaohs.  . 

While  the  people  stood  about  in  open-mouthed  wonder, 
the   prophet  interpreted  the   significance    of   his  strange  i 

action :  "  Jehovah  will  send  to  Egypt,  even  as  he  has  to 
91 


Jeremiah  43  :  lo  Messages  of  the 

A  symbol      Judah,  the  agent  who  executes   his  righteous  judgment, 
chadrezzar    Nebuchadrezzar.     On   these  very   stones   which   I   have 
vade  Egypt  placed  here,  at  the  entrance  of  the  palace  of  Hophra,  will 
(43 :  10-13)    the  king  of  Babylon  set  up  his  throne.     As  a  conqueror 
he  will  condemn  some   of  the  Egyptians  to  death,  and 
others  to  deportation  to  Babylon.     Their  temples  he  will 
plunder  and  burn.     With  ease  and  completely  will  he  be- 
come master  of  the  entire  land.     The  obelisks  of  Memphis 
and  the  many  temples  scattered  throughout  the  land  will 
suffer  the  fate  of  the  Jerusalem   sanctuary.     Think  not, 
disobedient  Jews,  that  you  have  passed  beyond  the  pale 
of  Jehovah's  far-reaching  influence." 

2.    T/ie  Ccr/am  Fate  of  Those   Ujfaithfiil  to  God 
(44  :  1-30) 
The  people       Again  a  divine  message  came  to  the  prophet  for  all  the 

have  failed     _        .    ,  .,,...,,.-.  ... 

to  profit  by    Jcwish  exilcs  livmg  in  the  different  communities  in  upper 
experiences  ^^^^  lowcr  Egypt :  "  You  have  experienced  the  misfortunes, 
T  ^^T'lof^*  ^'^^  ^^^Vi  with  your  own  eyes  the  terrible  desolation  that 
Jehovah  has  sent  upon  your  people  and  land.     You  also 
know  the  reason  why :  it  was  because  you,  as  a  nation, 
instead  of  remaining  faithful  to  him,  introduced  the  wor- 
ship of  foreign  gods.     In  vain  he  warned  you  through  his 
zealous,  untiring  prophets.     You  would  not  heed,  and  so 
the  desolation  of  Judah  and  your  sad  lot  are  the  direct 
results.     Have  you  failed  to  learn  the  simple  lesson  }     Is 
it  possible  that  by  a  repetition  of  the  same  gross  sins  you 
92 


Later  PropJicts  Jeremiah  44  :  18 

will  bring  still  greater  evils  upon  yourseJves  and  your  wives 
and  innocent  children  dependent  upon  you  ?  I  can  see 
from  your  defiant  attitude  that  you  are  no  more  repentant 
nor  inclined  to  keep  Jehovah's  laws,  which  are  so  plainly 
presented  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  than  were  your 
fathers.     Therefore,  but  one  course  of  action  is  open,  even  The  judg- 

ment  await- 

to  Jehovah  himself.  He  must  contmue  to  execute  his  right-  ing  the 
eous  vengeance  upon  you.     By  the  sword  and  by  famine  exUes^in 
those  of  vou  who  are  faithless  to  him  will  die.    None  shall  f ^>?'      . 
be  spared,  until  all  the  world  stands  aghast  at  the  magni- 
tude of  your  sin  and  of  its  punishment.     Think  not  that 
you  will  escape  his  judgment  here  in  this  land  of  Egypt. 
It  will  go  on  even  as  in  the  land  of  Palestine.     You  all 
hope  to  return  in  time  to  Judah.     Know  that  none,  ex- 
cept a  few  faithful  ones  who  escape  Jehovah's  just  wrath, 
shall  realize  this  fond  expectation." 

To  the  bold,  earnest  appeals  of  Jeremiah  the  exiles,  both  The  defiant 
,       •  ,        ,  ,       ""ep'y  of  the 

men  and  women,  who  at  the  time  were  gathered  together  people 

from  all  parts  of  Egypt  in  a  great  assembly,  replied,  "  We  '  '^'^^ 
will  not  follow  your  advice.  As  we  have  in  this  religious 
convention  determined,  we  will  worship  the  Queen  of 
Heaven  as  did  our  ancestors  in  the  land  of  Judah  during 
the  reigns  of  Manasseh  and  Jehoiakim,  when  they  en- 
joyed prosperity,  and  before  any  great  calamities  had 
overtaken  our  nation.  It  was  when  we,  as  a  people, 
ceased  to  worship  this  powerful  celestial  deity  that  these 
dire  disasters  came  upon  us.  Charge  not  the  women,  O 
93 


Jeremiah  44  :  19 

prophet,  with  conserving  these   foreign   rites,  for  in  the 
past,  as  now,  the  husbands  were  in  perfect  sympathy  with 
the  action  of  their  wives." 
Jeremiah's        In  reply  to  the  deep-seated  error  of  the  people,  Jeremiah 
t^er"pTe7atron  declared :  "  Your  interpretation  of   the   real  cause  of  the 
plrienS  of  Calamities  which   have   come   to  your   nation   is  entirely 
his  nation      wroug.     They   came   because  Jehovah  could   no   longer 
tolerate  your  apostasy  to  him,  your  abominable  heathen 
practices,  and  your  contemptuous  disregard  of  his  com- 
mands. 
The  fate  in       "  Hear  Jchovah's  sentence  upon  you.     You  and  your 
guilty  exiles  wivcs   havc   deliberately  avowed  your   determination   to 
(44  :  24-30)    j.^jj.j^  your  backs  upon  him,  and  henceforth  to  devote  your- 
selves to  worshipping  the  Assyrian  goddess,  the  Queen 
of  Heaven.     Do  as  you  have  agreed,  only  Jehovah  com- 
mands you  never  again  to  pronounce  his  holy  name  with 
your   polluted   lips.       Henceforth   his   care  in  regard  to 
you  will  be  to  punish  and  destroy  instead  of  to  preserve. 
War  and  famine  will  complete  their  deadly  work.     Only 
a  fraction  of  your  number  will  escape  and  return  to  Judah. 
By  bitter  experience  you  will  learn  the  truth  of  my  words 
and  the  folly  of  your  own.    Let  this  also  be  a  sign  to  you  : 
when  you  behold  Hophra,  the  reigning  Pharaoh,  a  captive 
in  the  hands  of  his  conqueror,  as  was  Zedekiah  in  the 
hands  of  Nebuchadrezzar,  know  the  truth  of  my  divine 
message,  and  that  Jehovah  will  surely  execute  upon  you 
the  grim  sentence  which  I  have  just  proclaimed. " 
94 


EZEKIEL'S  MESSAGES  OF  COMFORT 
TO  THE  EXILES  IN   BABYLONIA 


EZEKIEL'S    MESSAGES    OF  COMFORT  TO 
THE  EXILES  IN  BABYLONIA 


THE    SUPREME    NEED  OF    PROPHETIC    MINISTRATION 

It  has  already  been  noted  that  the  prophet  Ezekiel, 
like  a  pastor  of  to-day,  was  deeply  interested  in  the  fort- 
unes of  the  people  amid  whom  he  lived.  A  sufficient 
evidence  of  this  is  his  declaration  of  the  responsibility 
which  he  felt  as  a  watchman  for  Israel  (3),  and  the  evi- 
dent bearing  of  his  predictions  regarding  Jerusalem  and 
of  his  unsparing  criticisms  of  his  nation  upon  the  action 
and  sentiments  of  his  immediate  neighbors  in  Babylonia. 

When  the  downfall  of  their  beloved  city  and  temple  be- 
came an  acknowledged  fact,  it  was  natural  that  he  should 
zealously  devote  himself  to  his  disheartened  countrymen, 
who  had  hitherto  paid  little  heed  to  his  words  of  warning. 
In  spite  of  what  he  had  repeatedly  said,  they  were  unpre- 
pared for  the  crushing  news.  Some  among  them  attrib- 
uted their  misfortunes  to  Jehovah's  neglect  or  weakness, 
and  were  tempted  to  renounce  their  allegiance  to  him  and 
97 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

become  like  the  heathen  around  them.  Others,  while  see- 
ing in  these  calamities  the  judgments  of  Jehovah  for  their 
sins,  were  overwhelmed  by  a  sense  of  their  guilt  (Lam. 
1:12)  and  became  almost  hopeless  respecting  the  future 
(Ezek.  24 :  23).  They  could  only  realize  that  the  city  was 
in  ruins,  the  royal  house  dishonored,  the  nation  uprooted, 
the  people  dispersed,  and  the  old  home-land  either  a  deso- 
lation or  in  possession  of  their  hated  neighbors,  who  were 
maliciously  exulting  over  their  downfall.  Beyond  these 
shocking  realities  they  were  not  able  to  see.  The  prophet, 
however,  found  in  this  condition  of  affairs  the  opportunity 
for  which  he  had  been  waiting.  His  work  of  sustaining, 
comforting,  and  upbuilding  could  now  begin — the  era  of 
promises  rather  than  threats  and  of  the  inculcation  of 
hopefulness  instead  of  fear.  He  turns  the  attention  of  his 
hearers  to  the  rich  possibilities  for  Israel  in  the  future,  at 
least  for  an  Israel  repentant,  loyal,  and  earnest. 

One  marked  result  of  the  confirmation  of  all  that 
Ezekiel  had  proclaimed  for  six  long  years  was  his  re- 
establishment  as  a  popular  preacher  (33*.  30-32).  He  was 
always  sure  of  an  audience,  and  became  at  once  an 
acknowledged  leader  in  the  community.  He  himself 
recognized  the  superficial  character  of  his  popularity,  and 
did  not  expect  that  his  teachings  would  effect  an  immedi- 
ate change  of  heart.  Chapters  33  to  39  doubtless  repre- 
sent the  sermons  of  the  next  decade,  during  which  the 
•prophet  was  a  faithful  friend  and  helper  to  his  people. 

98 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  ■}yi  :  7 

In  these  chapters  the  true  bent  of  Ezekiel's  mind  is 
revealed.  Prominence  is  given  the  positive,  constructive 
side  of  his  thinking.  The  years  between  586  and  570 
B.C.  must  have  been  the  happiest  of  his  Hfe,  since  it 
was  pre-eminently  the  glor>^  of  a  prophet  to  snatch  a  de- 
spondent people  from  suicidal  letharg)'  and  direct  them, 
repentant,  into  a  vitalized,  earnest  career  of  service. 


II 

PROPHECIES    OF    PROMISE    AND    CHEER    (^H  tO  39) 

I.   The  Prophet  Appointed  to  Annoimce  Israelis  Possible 
Future  (33) 

Fellow  Israelites,  Jehovah  bids  me  make  clear  to  you  The  function 
the  decisive  importance  of  your  attitude  toward  him  and  ma^n^nd^his 
his  messenger  in  these  days  of  reconstruction.     I  am  like  btfi?^"^'' 
a  watchman  set  apart  in  time  of  public  peril  to  warn  a  city  (33 :  1-6) 
of  the  enemy's  approach.     If  he  is  faithful  to  his  trust, 
keeping  vigilant   watch   and   sounding   the   alarm  when 
danger  threatens,  then  those  who  lose  their  lives  by  failing 
to  heed  his  warning  are  solely  to  blame  for  their  death. 
If,  however,  he  is  neglectful,  the  blood  of  those  who  are 
slain  is  upon  his  head. 

Thus  has  Jehovah  appointed  me  to  proclaim  in  trumpet  The  prophet 
tones  the  doom  which  I  see  hanging  over  my  people,  if  (33?7-97^" 
99 


Ezekiel  33  :  8  Messages  of  the 

they  persist  in  their  evil  ways.     If  I  faithfully  present  my 

warning  message,  my  responsibility  is   at   an   end,  but 

yours,  O  Israel,  will  then  begin. 

The  future        Do  you  despairingly  conclude  that  a  final  destruction 

dlp2nd^!ipon  has  been  decreed  against  you  because  of  your  sins  and 

the  charac-   ^^^  j^q  effort  of  vours  cau  avail  !     Not  so,  fellow  Israel- 

ter  of  the  ■' 

people  ites ;    you   misapprehend   the   divine   purpose.     Jehovah 

33 .  10-20  ^^jgj^gg  j.j^^j.  ^jj  should  live,  and  ever  holds  forth  the  possi- 
bility of  redemption.  A  man's  past  life  does  not  abso- 
lutely determine  his  present  or  future  state  in  God's  sight. 
A  once  righteous  man  who  yields  to  evil  impulse  must 
suffer  the  consequences  of  his  wickedness  ;  a  man  of  evil 
life  who  truly  reforms,  making  recompense  for  the  wrong 
he  has  done  and  ordering  his  life  by  right  principles,  can 
count  on  divine  approval  and  blessing.  Jehovah  will  hold 
everyone  responsible  for  his  deliberate  course  of  life.  Can 
he  do  otherwise  ? 
The  effect  Such  is  the  mcssagc  which  Jehovah  now  bids  me  pro- 
of jemsa-  claim.  There  is  no  need  for  overwhelming  despair  be- 
(s^i^t'L)  cause  of  the  startling  news  of  Jerusalem's  fall.  It  enables 
me  to  set  before  you  all  the  real  character  of  your  God 
and  his  ways  of  dealing  with  you.  No  longer  need  my 
lips  be  sealed,  for  you  will  acknowledge  that  a  true  prophet 
is  in  your  midst. 

Those  who  are  even  now  left  in  the  ruined   land   of 
Judah  are  laying  claim,  as  sons  of  Abraham  and  heirs  of 
the  promise,  to  the  whole  territory.     Jehovah  will  point 
100 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  34  :  13 

out  to  them  that  they  are  ignoring  the  true  basis  of  the  The  remnan 

.     .  ,  -If  1-1    in  Judali  lia 

old  covenant  and  maintaining   the  very  evils    for  which  no  riuiit  to 


he  has  driven  the  nation  from  its  inheritance.     Hence  the  *^ 


cept  thn.iigh 
obedience 
(33  :  23-29) 


same  judgment  must  be  repeatedly  meted  out  until  his  obedience 
righteous  will  is  obeyed. 

"  As  for  your  fellow  exiles,"  saith  Jehovah,  "  who  now  The 

<■  1-1  ^        ^  ^        prophet's 

crowd  to  hear  my  message  from  your  lips,  do  not  set  too  sermons  to 
high  a  value  on  their  professions  of  interest.  They  are  ^'^^^"^p;;^^^'^ 
curious  to  hear  some  sensational  preaching,  but  not  eager 
to  repent.  They  enjoy  your  artistic  sermons  as  they 
might  a  beautiful  song.  When  your  words  are  all  ful- 
filled, these  sceptics  will  discover  that  you  have  indeed 
been  a  speaker  of  eternal  truth." 

2.    The   True  Rider  of  Israel  (34) 
"Woe,"  saith  Jehovah,  "to  the   rulers  of  my  people,  Jehovah  ^yill 

■'  set  aside  the 

through  whose   selfish   heedlessness   they  have   become  neghgent 
weakened  and  dispersed  like  sheep  which  have  no  watch-  f^raei"""^" 
ful  shepherd.     On  every  side  their  enemies  have  devoured  (34  :  ^-^^) 
them,  while  their  slothful  and    self-indulgent  guardians 
were  feasting   themselves.     Such  criminal  incompetence 
can  no  longer  be  tolerated. 

"  Therefore  I  will  interpose  and  undertake  the  care  of  J^^^^^'j'^'^,^^^ 
my  people.     Like  a  good  shepherd,  I  will  seek  out  those  their  place 
who  have  wandered  far  away.     I  will  gently  lead  them^^'*""''  ^ 
homeward  and  give  them  abundant  food   in  their  accus- 
tomed haunts.     There  will  I  lavish  upon  them  the  tender 

lOI 


Ezekiel  34  :  i6  Messages  of  the 

care  which  they  have  never  received  from  their  appointed 
guardians. 
Oppressions      "  At  that  time  I  will  make  a  sudden  end  of  the  oppres- 

Will  CC3.SG 

(34  :  17-22)  sion  of  the  poor  and  the  weak  by  those  who  are  wealthy 
and  powerful,  who  consume  the  best  of  everything,  and 
then,  in  wanton  spitefulness,  destroy  or  damage  what  they 
cannot  use.  Such  heartless  ruffians  will  receive  speedy 
judgment  at  my  hands. 

A  true  <'  When  I  have  thus  restored  and  purged  my  people,  I 

ruler  to  be    will  appoint  ovcr  them  a  faithful  shepherd,  a  second  David. 

(J7?'?3-V)  Then  shall  the  land  be  free  from  foreign  foes  and  beasts 
of  prey.  I  will  give  rain  in  its  season,  abundant  harvests 
and  complete  security  and  happiness.  Then  at  last  shall 
God  and  his  people  be  reconciled." 

3.   The  Certain  Restoratio7i  of  Israel's  Lattd  (35  to  36) 

(i)  Edoni's  Usurpation  to  be  Severely  Punished  by  Deso- 
lation (35) 

Edom  to  be       Q  land  of  Edom,  Jehovah's  curse  is  upon  you.     A  bar- 

because  of    ren  waste  shall  you  become  because  in  Judah's  day  of  ca- 

maiiceTnd    lamity  you  exhibited  your  ceaseless  enmity  toward  her  by 

arrogance     exulting  ovcr  her  misfortunes,  assisting  her  enemies,  and 

especially  by  invading  with  boastful  defiance  the  sacred 

soil  of  Israel,  Jehovah's  abode,  as  if  it  had  been  given  up 

to  such  as  you  for  spoil.     Your  acts  and  your  malicious 

spirit  Jehovah  cannot  pardon. 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  36  :  32 

(2)  Judah  to  be  again  a  Fertile  and  Populous  Land  (36  :  1-15) 

And  vou,  beloved  land  of  hills  and  vallevs,  at  once  the  Judah  to  be 

■'  '  1      •  -1  recovered 

object  of  our  enemies'  jibes  and  the  reward  of  their  evil  from  its 
enterprise,  the  humiliation  that  you  suffer  shall  be  the  lot  posltsLrs, 
of  those  who  now  possess  you.     At  the  time,  not  far  dis-  ^"/j^'d '  ^"^ 
tant,  when  your  own  people  return,  you  shall  be  luxuri-  (36:1-15) 
antly  fruitful  and  populous.     Nevermore  will  there  be  a 
destructive  famine,  nor  shall  outside  peoples  be  justified 
in  hurling  reproaches  against  you. 

(3)  JehovaJi's  Motive  for  Restoration  (36  :  16-38) 
Recall,  O  men  of  Judah,  how  necessary  it  was  for  Je-  Judah's 

,  ,  ...  .  T-.  •        calamities 

hovah  to  act  in  judgment  against  you.     By  your  persist-  well 
ent  idolatry  and  acts  of  murder  you  forced  him,  in  sheer  f3^6^76^-^9) 
abhorrence,  to  mete  out  the  appropriate  punishment  of 
v^'orld-wide  dispersion.      The  nations  among  whom  you  Their 
have  gone,  not  understanding  the  divine  method  of  gov-  mfs'i?^"'^^ 
erning  the  unwise,  dishonor  Jehovah  by  attributing  your  [^^.''^q  2,) 
misfortunes  to  his  inability  to  protect  you.    For  his  name's 
sake,  therefore,  he  purposes  to  restore  you  again  to  your  Hence,  for 
land,  purified  from  every  idolatrous  taint,  docile,  reverent,  sake,''" 
and  disposed  to  obedience.     In  response  to  the  shower  of  J^jj^^^^^^ 
blessings  from  his  hand,  you  will  then  realize  his  love  and  J^^  "^^'''" 
your  own  iniquities.    Both  you  and  the  nations  will  under- 
stand his  motives  and  give  him  honor. 

At  that  time  the  land  will  again  become  as  beautiful  as 
103 


Ezekiel  36  :  33  Messages  of  the 

This  Eden  and  populous  as  of  old.     Once  more  will  the  people 

wiiUause"  take  counsel  of  Jehovah  and  ask  for  his  blessing.  Every 
ToV^noT^  city  in  the  land  shall  be  crowded  with  thronging  multi- 
Jehovah       tudcs,  as  was  Jerusalem  in  the  past  on  the  great  festal 

days.     Looking  on  such  a  transformation  as  this,  can  the 

nations  fail  to  glorify  Jehovah  ? 

4.    The  Revivified  ajid  United  People  (37) 
(i)    The  Vision  of  the  iVation^s  Resurrection  (37  :  1-14) 
The  de-  The    greatest    obstacle    to    my  ministry  of  encourage- 

spondentex-  ,         i  j  r     ,  •,    j  i  i 

lies  (37:  11)  ment  was  the  despondency  of  the  exiled  people  who  ever 
The  vision  kept  Speaking  of  themselves  as  devoid  of  hope.  One  day 
bones  Jehovah   granted    me   an    answering  vision.      Again    I 

iTvlng  beings  appeared  to  be  in  the  familiar  valley,  but  it  was  covered 
(37 :  i-io)  y^\[\x  bleached  and  scattered  bones,  which  seemed  to  me 
truly  emblematic  of  my  dispersed  and  blighted  nation. 
I  heard  a  question,  "Weak  mortal,  can  these  bones  be 
transformed  into  living  beings  ?  "  I  dared  not  deny ; 
I  did  not  venture  to  affirm  ;  I  humbly  asked  for  enlighten- 
ment. "  Declare  boldly,"  said  the  voice,  "  that  Jehovah  has 
both  the  power  and  the  purpose  to  make  a  living  nation 
from  these  bones. "  On  my  compliance,  the  bones  began 
to  assort  themselves  into  groups  and  the  groups  to  become 
articulated  into  skeletons  and  the  skeletons  to  be  clothed 
with  flesh,  until  I  saw  before  me  a  vast  array  of  inert 
bodies.  Again  said  the  voice  :  "  Call  to  the  four  winds  of 
104 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

heaven  to  furnish  the  breath  of  Hfe  for  this  great  host." 
I  called,  the  winds  obeyed,  and  there  stood  up  a  multitude 
of  living  beings. 

•'  Mortal  one,"  the  voice  added,  "  these  bones  which  you  The  expia- 

1  •  r     1  •         T  ,         .       ^    ,  ,    nation  of  the 

saw  were  the  remains  of  the  nation  Israel.     As  Jehovah  vision 
gave  life  to  the  dismembered  and  disintegrated  bodies,  so  ^^^  *  '^"^'^^ 
he  can  raise  the  nation  from  the  very  grave,  infuse  new 
life,  and  restore  the  people  to  their  own  land.     Then  will 
they  be  convinced  of  his  power  and  his  love." 

(2)    The  Symbol  of  its  Unijication  (37:  15-28) 

Again,   under  a  divine   impulse,  I   took  two   wooden  The  pro- 
sticks  to  represent  royal  sceptres,  which  I  labelled  with  Eufof  the'"' 

names  to  indicate   that    thev  denoted  the   southern  and  ^^^  sticks 

(37  •  15-17) 
northern  kingdoms  of  Israel.     These  I  held  in  my  hand 

as   if   they   had    become    united    into    one    rod.      When  The  future 

questioned  about  the  meaning  of  this  action,  I  said,  "  Je- a^u^nfted  ^*^ 

hovah    is   surely   purposing   to   gather  all  the    Israelites  ^""§^011 

from   every  quarter  of  the  world  and  to  settle  them  in 

their  own  land  and  to  make  them  a  united  nation  under 

one  king.     Purified  from  idolatry  and  cleansed  from  sin,'  its  glorious 

they  will  serve  him  alone.    Then  shall  a  true  representative  (37 :  23-28) 

of   the    Davidic  stock  ascend   the  throne.     Like  a  good 

shepherd  he  will  faithfully  care  for  them,  and  they  will  be 

obedient  and  righteous.     Jehovah  will  establish  his  cove- 

'  "  Dwelling  places  "  (v.  23)  should  probably  be  read,  as  in  the  Septuagint, 
"  batkslidings."' 


Ezekiel  37  :  28  Messages  of  the 

nant  with  them  forever,  and  will  dwell  in  their  midst  to 
the  end  of  days." 

5.  Jehovah's  Final  Triumph  (38  :  i  to  39  :  24) 

The  signifi-       After  Jehovah  has  revealed  himself  to  the  civilized  world 

iiwas1o°nof^  and  to  Israel  by  restoring  and  blessing  his  own  people, 

gT'^s  arm     there  will  yet  remain  one  final  act  in  the  great  drama  of 

(38 :  1-9)       universal,  divine  judgment.      The  unknown   nations   of 

the  distant  north  will  need  one  overwhelming  proof  of 

Jehovah's  sovereign  power,  before  the  whole  world  will 

stand  in  awe  of  him.     Then  will   he  speak  to  Gog,  the 

leader  of  those  fierce  Scythian  tribes  :  "  Prepare,  O  prince 

of  nations,  to  assemble  your  forces  from  every  quarter, 

well  equipped  and  beyond  number,  ready  at  my  summons 

to  advance,  like  a  cloud  of  destructive  locusts,  against  my 

people,  Israel. 

Gog's  mo-         "  Your  only  motive,  O  robber  of   nations,  will  be  to 

thTt^fpllfn-Pl'^^der  unopposed  a  peaceful,  prosperous,  populous,  but 

^^l        ^,    defenceless  people.     How  the  merchants  of  Arabia  and 
(38 :  10-16)  ^      ^ 

Tarshish  gloat  over  the  prospects  of  a  rich  spoil !     Yet  it 

is  not  for  booty  that  I  bring  you  to  the  land  of  my  people, 

but  that  my  name  may  be  held  in  reverence  by  all  the 

world. 

His  down-         "  This  will  be  the  invasion  to  which  many  of  my  proph- 

fitmenrif"^"  cts  have  looked  forward,  when  I  and  my  nation  would  be 

prophetic      {^^^  |.q  {^^^  ^yj^]^  ^^  embodiment  of  the  heathen  world's 

expectation 

(38 :  17-23)    hostility.     In  this  supreme  peril  will  be  my  long-awaited 

106 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  39  :  20 

opportunity.  I  will  pour  out  my  wrath  upon  these  northern 
barbarians.  By  a  mighty  earthquake  the  mountains  shall 
be  cleft  and  every  lofty  object  levelled.  The  panic- 
stricken  soldiers  will  attack  each  other,  while  I  complete 
their  destruction  by  pestilence  and  hailstorms  and  fire. 
Then  will  my  power  and  the  sacredness  of  my  land  be 
known  to  all. 

"  Therefore,  O  representative  of  uncivilized  paganism,  Gog  to  be 
I  will  lead  you  to  this  land,  but  only  that  you  may  be  and  de- 
annihilated.     Making  useless  your  weapons,  I  will  cause  2Sf  ^     ^ 
you  to  perish.     Even  your  own  home-land  shall  be  rav-  <39  =  1-7) 
aged  that  my  glory  may  be  acknowledged  by  the  whole 
world. 

"  Then  will  the  people  of  Israel  go  forth  from  their  The  extent 
cities  and  gather  up  the  spoil.     So  numerous  will  be  the  trophe 
weapons  that  for  years  there  will  be  no  need  of  cutting  ^39  =  8-20) 
firewood.     In  a  secluded  valley  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Dead  Sea,  outside  the  limits  of  the  holy  land,  they  will 
bury  the  corpses.     Many  months  will  it  take  to  dispose  of 
the  slain  which  can  be  readily  discovered.     Then  men  will 
be  appointed  ,to  search  every  corner  of  the  land  for  un- 
noticed corpses,  that  it  may  be  wholly  freed  from  defile- 
ment.    A  splendid  banquet  will  I  spread  on  that  day  for 
all  the  birds  of  the  air  and  for  the  beasts  of  prey.     They 
shall  eat  flesh  to  the  full  and  drink  freely  of  the  blood  of 
princes. 

"  After  such  a  manifestation  of  power  as  this,  the  people 
107 


Ezekiel  39  :  21 

The  effect  of  Israel  can  never  again  be  unfaithful  to  me.  Moreover 
and'thr^^  they  and  the  whole  world  will  recognize  that  I  was  obliged 
to  punish  them  with  exile  and  the  sword  because  of  their 
sins.  Thus  will  my  righteous  rule  be  universally  ac- 
knowledged." 


world 

(39  :  21-24) 


6.  Restored  and  Pitr-ified  Israel  (39  :  25-29) 

It  will  not  be  long,  O  Israel,  before  Jehovah  will  be 
Jehovah's  ready  to  restore  you  to  your  land.  Then  will  you  put 
alTd^nghTt"'^^  away  the  evil  you  have  practised,  and  live  in  obedience  and 
eousness  ^  sccurity.  Then  will  you  realize  why  he  dealt  with  you 
the  world  severely.  Never  again  will  he  need  to  hide  his  face  from 
39  •  25  29  ^^^  Thus  will  his  name  be  honored  throughout  the 
world. 


108 


EZEKIEL'S     VISION     OF    THE     RE- 
STORED    HEBREW    STATE 


EZEKIEL'S    VISION    OF    THE    RESTORED 
HEBREW    STATE  ' 


THE  CHARACTER   AND   IMPORTANCE    OF    THE   VISION 

The  last  nine  chapters  of  the  book  of  Ezekiel,  far  from 
being,  as  so  many  readers  treat  it,  a  sort  of  appendix 
which  may  readily  be  ignored,  is  really  a  crowning  con- 
clusion to  all  that  precedes.  The  prophet  begins  with  a 
vision  of  God  ;  he  concludes  with  a  vision  of  God  in  the 
midst  of  his  purified,  reverent  people. 

There  is  a  real  unity  traceable  throughout  the  book.  In 
the  earlier  chapters  the  prophet  unsparingly  denounced 
his  unfaithful  nation  and  asserted  its  destruction  because 
it  was  in  every  way  misrepresenting  its  God  and  ignoring 
his  precepts  (1-24).  His  foreign  predictions  (25  to  32) 
were  in  reality  a  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  the 
insolent  neighboring  states  should  be  cleared  away  to 
make  room  for  the  new  ideal  Israel.  His  hopeful  visions 
of  a  unified  and  restored  people  prepared  the  way  more 
completely  for  a  sketch  of  the  ideal  embodiment  of  the 
III 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

true  relations  between  God  and  his  people.  Perhaps  no 
one  but  a  priest  as  well  as  prophet,  who  knew  the  old  and 
looked  forward  to  a  new  and  better  order,  who  realized 
vividly  the  most  dangerous  tendencies  of  the  nation  before 
its  exile,  and  who  planned  in  a  definite  way  to  counteract 
them,  could  have  been  the  medium  of  so  noteworthy  a 
reconstruction. 

First  of  all,  however,  these  chapters  are  interesting  be- 
cause they  contain  a  remarkably  bold  prophecy.  At  a 
time  when  the  temple  and  city  lay  in  ruins,  when  the  land 
was  devastated  and  in  the  possession  of  Judah's  foes,  the 
people  scattered,  the  empire  of  their  conqueror  at  the 
height  of  its  power,  and  the  exiles  dispirited  and  helpless, 
the  prophet  draws  a  picture  of  a  temple  to  be  erected  on 
the  old  site  by  a  reunited  and  prosperous  people  who  in- 
habit a  fruitful  and  populous  land  without  hint  of  traitor 
within  or  foe  without.  For  sublime  confidence  one  can 
only  compare  with  it  Jeremiah's  purchase  of  the  field  at 
Anathoth  (32  :  1-15)  just  before  Jerusalem's  downfall.  By 
such  object  lessons  as  these  the  prophets  were  wont  to 
challenge  despondency  and  to  inculcate  their  own  robust 
and  unswerving  faith. 

Ezekiel,  however,  had  a  broader  purpose  than  merely  to 
awaken  a  spirit  of  hopefulness.  His  aim  was  construct- 
ive. Four  ideas  seem  to  have  impressed  themselves  upon 
his  mind  as  essential  to  the  ideal  development  of  his  race  : 
first,  the  people  should  make  much  more  of  the  forms  of 
112 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel 

religious  life  than  ever  before  in  order  to  be  responsive  to 
the  demands  of  true  holiness ;  again,  the  ritual  recognized 
by  them  should  be  much  more  exact  and  strict  than  it  had 
been  in  the  past ;  in  the  third  place,  the  ecclesiastical  power 
must  be  independent  in  matters  religious,  not  subject  to 
royal  caprice ;  and  lastly,  this  power  was  to  be  centred  in 
the  family  of  Zadok. 

With  consummate  art  Ezekiel  presents  such  a  ritualistic 
constitution,  which  provides  for  a  temple  with  priests  and 
servitors,  with  every  appointment  and  necessary  resource, 
protected  and  supported  but  not  controlled  by  the  king, 
its  holiness  guarded  by  the  provision  of  an  outer  court, 
beyond  which  only  consecrated  men  could  pass,  situated 
in  the  midst  of  a  reserv^ation  allotted  to  the  priests  and 
Levites,  which  was  in  turn  encircled  by  a  territory  where 
every  true  Israelite  was  allotted  an  equal  share.  It  is  a 
sketch,  a  ground  plan,  but  its  details  are  also  carefully 
developed.  Throughout  the  author  recognizes  that  his 
vision  has  been  given  by  God,  an  inspiration  which  is  not 
belittled  or  gainsaid  by  the  recognition  of  the  prophet's 
share  in  its  formation. 

Two  details  are  new  to  Hebrew  history.  The  old 
temple  had  only  one  court.  Ezekiel  provides  another,  in 
order  to  emphasize  the  distinction  between  that  which  is 
holy  and  ceremonially  clean  and,  therefore,  admissible  to 
God's  presence,  and  that  which  is  common.  Not  even  the 
king  may  step  within  the  inner  court,  where  the  great 
113 


Ezekiel  Messages  of  the 

altar  of  burnt  offering  stands  before  the  temple  proper. 
Again,  before  the  exile,  many  priestly  families  had  a  claim 
upon  the  perquisites  and  the  prerogatives  of  the  priesthood 
at  Jerusalem.  Ezekiel  declares  that  the  Zadokites  alone 
are  worthy  to  serve  at  the  altar,  because  they  had,  on  the 
whole,  been  faithful  to  the  ideals  of  the  priesthood. 

There  was  one  element  of  weakness  in  this  newly  for- 
mulated policy ;  it  reduced  popular  religion  to  a  series  of 
forms.  A  man's  access  to  God  was  no  longer  to  be  direct  in 
any  sense  ;  he  could  only  stand  afar  off  and  watch,  while 
others  performed  for  him  the  symbolic  rites.  No  doubt 
it  was  felt  that  the  resulting  systemization  of  religion  would 
be  a  real  advantage ;  but  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that 
there  was  a  loss  in  personal  fervor. 

Ezekiel's  plan  was  never  fully  adopted.  It  was  not,  in 
fact,  so  adjusted  to  existing  conditions  that  it  could  be. 
It  is  really  a  sort  of  Messianic  apocalypse,  an  ideal  picture 
of  what  ought  to  come  to  pass,  intended  rather  to  suggest 
broad  lines  of  progress  than  to  indicate  exact  details. 

Ezekiel  has  been  properly  termed  the  father  of  Judaism, 
for  by  his  keen  insight  into  the  needs  of  the  times  and  by 
his  clever  formulation  of  his  proposed  policy  in  this  strik- 
ing vision,  he  helped  materially  to  shape  the  growth  of 
the  Jewish  polity  which  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  a 
strict  ritual.  His  suggestions  seem  to  stand  half-way 
between  the  free  and  popular  ritual  of  Deuteronomy  and 
the  elaborate  technicalities  of  the  Levitical  code.  In  this 
114 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  40  :  4 

work  he  probably  also  represents  other  thoughtful  minds 
which  were  intent  upon  the  religious  problems  of  their 
race,  and  yet  among  them  all  he  was  as  conspicuous  as 
one  of  the  stately  cedars  of  which  the  prophets  love  to 
think.  His  was  the  master  mind  through  which  was 
given  the  impulse  toward  the  most  important  transforma- 
tion that  ever  a  nation  was  called  upon  to  undergo. 

II 

THE    DETAILS    OF    THE    VISION 
I.   The  New  Sanctuary  o?i  Moiuit  Zion  (40  to  43) 

(l)  Its  Gate-iVays  and  Outer  Coutt  (40  :  I-27) 
In  the  fourteenth  year  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  Jeho-  introduc- 
vah  graciously  revealed  to  me  a  vision  of  such  an  abode  vrs"on  of^the 
as   he  would   delight  to   inhabit.     When    the   prophetic  J^^J^S^^^ 
ecstasy  came  over  me,  I  seemed  to  be  carried  back  to  my  (40 :  1-4) 
native  land  and  set  down  in  the  sacred  city,  Jerusalem. 
Upon  the  old  temple  hill,  conspicuous  above  all  other  ele- 
vations, was  an  imposing  group  of  buildings,  like  those  of 
a  city.     Directly  before  me  in  the  eastern  gateway  stood 
a  man  of  glorious  appearance  like  a  heavenly  messenger, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  cord  and  rod  for  taking  measure- 
ments, who  said  to  me  :  "  Mortal  man,  pay  strict  heed  to 
all  that  I  show  you,  that  you  may  be  able  to  reveal  Je- 
hovah's purpose  to  your  nation." 

115 


Ezekiel  40  :  5 


Messages  of  tlu 


The  sur- 
rounding 
wall 
(40  :  5) 

The  eastern 

gateway  of 

the  outer 

wall 

(40  :  6-16) 


The  outer 
court  and  the 
outer  gate- 
ways 
(40  :  17-27) 


My  attention  was  first  drawn  to  a  wall,  nine  ^  feet  high 
and  broad,  which  encircled  all  the  buildings. 

Then  we  came  to  the  great  gateway  facing  the  east. 
It  was  seventy-five  feet  long  and  half  as  wide.  Ascending 
the  outer  steps,  we  entered,  through  a  portal  as  wide  as 
the  outer  wall,  a  passage-way  fifteen  feet  wide  and  forty- 
two  feet  long.  On  each  side  of  this  were  three  guard- 
rooms for  officers,  each  nine  feet  square  and  provided 
with  windows.  At  the  other  end  of  the  passage-way  was 
a  second  portal,  similar  in  size  to  the  first,  from  which  we 
passed  into  a  large  vestibule,  and  then  into  the  courtyard. 

Around  the  outer  margin  of  this  court  were  thirty  cham- 
bers fronting  upon  a  pavement  which  extended  to  the  ves- 
tibule of  the  gateway.  The  court  was  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  wide.  It  had  two  other  gateways  fronting  to 
the  north  and  south,  exactly  similar  in  construction  and 
size  to  the  one  through  which  we  had  passed. 


Its  three 
gateways 
(40  :  28-37) 


(2)    The  Inner  Court  (40  :  28-47) 

Crossing  the  outer  court,  we  came  to  the  gateways  lead- 
ing into  the  inner  court.  They  were  three  in  number, 
facing  south,  east,  and  north.  Their  dimensions  and  con- 
struction were  exactly  like  those  of  the  outer  gateways, 
except  that  their  vestibules  faced  the  outer  court.     The 

'  For  purposes  of  convenience  the  cubit  will  be  reckoned  at  eighteen  inches 
in  the  following  estimates.  Quite  probably  one-sixth  should  be  added  to 
every  such  estimate. 

116 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  40  :  49 

level  of  the  inner  court  was  reached  by  a  flight  of  eight 
steps. 

Connected  with  a  vestibule  of  the  inner  gateway  '  by  aThesacri- 
door  was  a  chamber  in  which  the  burnt  offering  was  f^^'Jjf  ^^s-^^^" 
washed.  In  the  vestibule  itself  stood  four  tables,  two  on 
either  side,  and  outside  the  vestibule  two  other  pairs  of 
tables,  all  for  use  in  the  slaughter  of  sacrificial  victims. 
With  each  pair  of  tables  was  a  smaller  one  of  hewn  stone, 
on  which  the  sacrificial  implements  were  laid. 

In  the  inner  court  were  two  apartments,  one  by  the  The  two 
north  gate  facing  southward,  the  other  by  the  south  gate  f^r^'Ss^ 
facing  northward.     The  former  was  the  residence  of  the  (40 :  44-46) 
priests  who  took  care  of  the  temple ;  the   latter  was  for 
those  of  the  family  of  Zadok,  who  ministered  at  the  altar. 

The  inner  court  itself  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  The  great 
square.     In  the  middle,  so  that  it  could  be  seen  through  ^][f 5^^) 
the  gateways,  and  immediately  before  the  temple,  was  the 
great  altar  of  burnt  offering. 

(3)    TJic  Temple  and  its  Adjuncts  (40  :  48  to  41  :  26) 

On  the  western  side  of  the  inner  court  was  the  temple  The  porch 
on  an  elevated  platform  approached  by  ten  ^  steps.     As-  ^'^°  "*  '  '*^' 
cending  these,  we  entered  a  vestibule  thirty  feet  wide  and 
eighteen   feet  long  by  an  entrance  twenty-one  feet  wide. 
On  either  side  of  the  entrance  was  a  huge  pillar.     Beyond 

■  The  text  does  not  indicate  which  gateway  it  was. 
2  So  the  Septuagint. 

117 


Ezekiel  41  :  i 


Messages  of  the 


The  main 

hall 

(41  :  I,  2) 


The  most 
holy  place 
(41  :  3i  4) 


The  cham- 
bers at  the 
side 
(41  :  5-7) 


The  raised 
platform 
(41  :  8-i5a) 


The  interior 
of  the 
temple 
(41 :  15b  -26) 


the  vestibule  was  the  main  hall  of  the  temple,  sixty  feet  in 
length  by  thirty  in  breadth,  entered  through  a  doorway 
fifteen  feet  wide. 

Beyond  this  hall  was  the  innermost  shrine  of  the  temple, 
the  holy  of  holies.  It  was  exactly  square,  with  a  door- 
way nine  feet  in  width.  Within  this  hallowed  spot,  the 
abode  of  Jehovah's  glory,  I  could  not  enter. 

The  wall  of  the  temple  was  nine  feet  thick.  Round 
about  this  wall  on  each  side  except  the  east  was  an  outer 
wall  seven  and  a  half  feet  thick,  the  interval  between  them 
at  the  base  being  six  feet.  Between  these  walls  were 
built  small  cells  in  three  tiers,  thirty  chambers  in  each 
tier.  The  cells  of  the  second  and  third  tier  were  some- 
what broader  than  those  at  the  base,  their  supporting 
beams  resting  on  the  ledges  made  by  the  recession  of  the 
wall. 

The  tiers  were  connected  by  winding  stairways,  and 
opened  into  the  terrace  on  which  the  temple  stood.  Thirty 
feet  west  of  the  temple  was  a  large  building,  the  purpose 
of  which  I  did  not  ask.  Its  area  as  well  as  that  of  the 
temple  court  and  that  of  the  inner  court  were  each  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  square. 

The  whole  interior  of  the  temple  was  panelled  and 
ceiled  with  wood.  From  floor  to  roof  this  woodwork,  in 
the  holiest  place  and  in  the  main  hall,  was  ornamented 
with  carved  work  representing  cherubs  and  palms.  Be- 
fore the  holy  of  holies  stood  an  altar-like  wooden  table 
118 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  42:15 

for  the  shewbread.  Swinging  doors  led  into  the  hall  and 
into  the  most  holy  place,  each  door  being  made  in  two 
sections  and  elaborately  carved. 

(4)  Other  BitiUino;s  of  the  Inner  Court  (42  :  1-14;   46:  19-24) 

On  the  northern  and  southern  sides  of  the   inner  court  The 
were  two  three-story  buildings,  each  one  hundred  and  fifty  for  the 
by  seventy-five  feet,  with  a  passage-way  fifteen  feet  wide  ['^"^f'^.j^) 
in  front.     The  uppermost  stories  included  a  gallery.     The 
walls  which  faced  the  outer  court  extended  only  half  of 
the  length  of  the  walls  that  faced  the   temple.     These 
buildings  could  be  entered   from  the  passage-ways  and 
from  the  outer  court.     In  these  chambers  the  priests  who  Their  use 
minister  at  the  altar  were  to  store  and  eat  their  portions  '^^■'^'  ^^ 
of   the  sacrificial  offerings,  and  to  lay  aside  their  sacred 
garments  before  going  into  the  outer  court  of  the  people. 

Enterine;  these  chambers  from  the  outer  court,  we  noted  Thekitch- 

,      ,       .  1  ■     1  c       ^\      ens  for 

in  the  western  corners  of  the  mner  court  kitchens  tor  the  priests  and 
exclusive  use  of  the  priests  in  preparing  their  share  of  the  \llf^^.^^) 
sacrifices  for  food.     Passing  thence,  we  saw  in  each  corner 
of  the  outer  court  four  kitchens  sixty  by  forty-five  feet  in 
size,  surrounded  by  pillars,  where  the  Levites  boiled  the 
sacrificial  meals  for  the  people. 

(5)    The  Whole  Temple  Area  (42  :  15-20) 

Having  completed  the  inspection   and  measurement  of 
the  interior  arrangement  of  the  temple  area,  we  passed 
119 


Ezekiel  42  :  i6 


Messages  of  the 


The  outside  out  of  the  castcm  gateway  and  measured  the  exterior  wall, 
mentis  The  whole  enclosure  was  seven  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
Inciosu^re  square.  A  wall  encircled  it,  shutting  in  the  sanctuary 
(42: 15-20)    from  the  outside  world. 


The  third 
vision  of 
Jehovah's 
glory 
(43  :  1-5) 


The  condi- 
tions of  its 
permanence 
(43 :  6-9) 


The  new 
temple  to 
be  built 
according 
to  the  vision 
(43:  10-12) 


(6)    The  Return  of  Jehovah  to  His  Abode  (43  :  1-12) 

We  then  returned  to  the  eastern  gate,  and  there  I  be- 
held the  glory  of  Jehovah  approaching  from  the  east  with 
a  noise  that  resembled  the  roar  of  a  rushing  stream  and 
a  radiance  that  illumined  the  earth  and  sky.  It  was  like 
the  splendid  visions  I  had  seen  before  on  the  river  Chebar 
and  at  Jerusalem.  I  fell  on  my  face  in  awe,  while  the 
glory  passed  through  the  gateway.  Transported  to  the 
inner  court,  I  saw  that  it  filled  the  temple.  At  the  same 
time  a  voice  announced  :  "  Mortal  man,  in  this  truly  sacred 
temple  I  will  be  pleased  to  dwell.  No  longer  shall  my 
abode  be  defiled  by  the  immediate  presence  of  a  royal 
palace  and  a  royal  burial-place,  and  by  the  abominations 
which  kings  are  wont  to  practise.  It  must  be  wholly  free 
from  contact  with  that  which  is  profane. 

"  Proclaim,  therefore,  to  the  men  of  Israel  exactly  how 
the  new  temple  is  to  be  erected,  describing  its  true  dimen- 
sions and  noting  all  its  ordinances  and  ritual,  that  every- 
thing may  be  done  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  divine  ideal. 
No  part  of  the  mountain  top  is  to  be  given  up  for  a  royal 
residence,  or  for  any  other  secular  use.  All  is  to  be  conse- 
crated to  the  worship  of  Jehovah." 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  44  :  2 


(7)  The  Great  Altar  and  its  Consecration  (43  :  13-27) 

In  the  very  centre  of   the  inner  court  was  the   great  Description 
altar  of  burnt-offering,  a  huge  structure  of   stone,  rising  J'^^V^^^^.j^^j'^ 
in  three  regularly  diminishing  terraces  to  a  height  of  sev- 
enteen feet  from  a  base  twenty-seven  feet  square  and  one 
and  a  half  feet  in  height.     The  steps  by  which  the  priests 
ascended  to  the  altar-hearth  faced  the  east. 

"Mortal  one,"  said  the  voice,  "in  the  day  when  the  The  method 
altar  is  completed  it   shall   be   consecrated   for  its  sacred  dedication 
service  in  the   following  manner:  Let  the  priests  of  the  ^'♦3- ^^-^7) 
family  of  Zadok,  whose  service  is  acceptable  to  me,  apply 
the  blood  of  a  freshly  slain  bullock  to  the  prominent  parts 
of  the  altar,  in  token  of  its  dedication  to  the  service  of  Je- 
hovah.    The  bullock  shall  then  be   burned  in  the  proper  ^ 
place  outside  the  temple  area.     For  six  days  thereafter  the 
altar  shall  be  ceremonially  cleansed  with  the  blood  of  a  he- 
goat,  and  a  burnt  offering  made  of  a  bullock  and  a  ram. 
When  the  altar  has  thus  been  set  apart  and  sanctified,  the 
sanctuary  will  be  holy,  and   there  will  I  accept  the  offer- 
ings of  my  people." 

2.   Ordinances  Regarding  the   Tenipte  (44  to  46) 
(l)    The  Use  of  the  Outer  Eastern  Gateivay  (44  :  1-3) 
We  now  returned  to  the  great  eastern  gateway  of  the  The  prince 
outer  court  but   found   it  closed.     The  voice  then  said  lemer'^it 
"  Since  Jehovah  has  entered  by  this  gateway,  no  mortal  ^'*'* '  ''^^ 
121 


Ezekiel  44  :  3  Messages  of  the 

shall  pass  through  it.  Let  it  remain  forever  closed.  The 
prince  '  may  enter  the  vestibule  from  the  outer  court  and 
there  partake  of  the  sacrificial  meal." 

(2)   The  Functions  of  the  Leviles  and  the  Priests  (44  :  4-31) 

The  reguia-       Returning  to  the  inner  court,  I  again  saw  the  splendor 
interests  of    of  Jchovah's  glory  filling  the  temple.     The  voice  bade  me 
^44^4%)      P^y  good  heed  to  the  ordinances  and  regulations  about  to 
be  promulgated  for  the  preservation  of  the  sanctity  of  the 
house  of  God. 
Servants  of       No  longer,  forgetful  Israel,  shall  you  profane  the  sanct- 
to'^blfr^e- "^^    uary  by  permitting   foreigners,  whose  service    is   purely 
Levftes^^     mercenary,  to  be  present  while  sacrifices  are  being  offered 
(44 :  6-14)      and  to  have  charge  of  the  temple.     Hereafter  the  mem- 
bers of  the  priestly  families,  which  ministered  at  the  high 
places  and  promoted  Israel's  unfaithfulness,  shall  be  re- 
sponsible for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary.      They  shall 
guard  the  gateways,  serve  the  priests,  slay  the  animals  for 
sacrifice,  and  wait  upon  the  worshippers.    They  shall  not, 
however,  be  permitted  to  act  as  priests. 
Priests  to  be      The   members  of   the  priestly  family  of  Zadok  alone 

Zadokites 

(44 :  15, 16)   shall  act  as  priests  in  the  temple,  for  they  have  always 

Their  been  faithful  to  me.     In  the  service  of  the  sanctuary  they 

(44^  '"7^19)    shall  wear,  for  the  sake  of  coolness  and  purity,  only  linen 

clothing.      Before  mingling  with   the   people  they  shall 

change    these   garments,  leaving  them  in  the  appointed 

*  For  some  reason  Ezekiel  uses  this  word  in  preference  to  "king." 
122 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  45  :  4 

chambers.   They  shall  neither  shave  their  heads  nor  let  their  Further  reg- 
hair  grow  long  like  the  Nazirite.     They  shall  refrain  from  proImrtUeof 
wine  while  on  duty.     They  shall  marry  no  one  but  a  vir-  ^^"^'20  22 
gin  or  the  widow  of  a  priest.     They  shall  not  approach  a  25-27) 
dead  body  except  that  of  a  blood-relative.  They  shall  then 
remain  unclean,  not  serving  at  the  altar  for  seven  days,  and 
shall  thereafter  present  a  sin-offering. 

They  shall  instruct  the  people  in  ceremonial  obligations,  Their  duties 
deciding  difficult  cases.     They  shall  also  arbitrate  in  dis-      '  ^^' 
putes  between  man  and  man,  control  public  worship,  and 
enforce  the  due  observance  of  sacred  days  and  seasons. 

They  shall  not  be  expected  to  support  themselves,  but  Their 
shall  subsist  entirely  upon  the  offerings  brought  to  the  ("I'f  28-31) 
sanctuary.  It  is  lawful  for  them  to  eat  whatever  is  not 
to  be  consumed  by  fire.  Theirs  also  is  all  property  con- 
secrated to  Jehovah,  the  best  of  the  first  fruits  and  the 
thank  offerings.  They  must  carefully  avoid  eating  meat 
which  has  not  been  slaughtered. 

(3)   The  Apportionment  of  their  Land  (45  :  1-7) 
On  the  return  from  exile,  when  the  land  is  reapportioned.  The  sacred 

1     II  1  1  •.  ^.reservation 

you  shall  mark  out  a  tract  about  seven  miles  square.     Of  (45 :  1-7) 
this    land,   set  apart  two-fifths  for  the  Levites  and  their 
cities.*      Another  two-fifths  allot  to    the    priesthood,  the 
domain  required  for    the   temple  and  an  open  space  of 
seventy-five  feet  on  all  sides  of   it  being  taken  from  its 

*  So  the  Septuagint  in  place  of  "  chambers." 
123 


Ezekiel  45  :  6  Messages  of  the 

centre.  The  remaining  strip,  about  seven  miles  by  one 
and  one-half,  shall  belong  to  the  people  who  live  in  Jeru- 
salem. All  the  territory  east  and  west  of  the  reservation 
shall  belong  to  the  prince. 

(4)   The  Rights  and  Duties  of  the  Prince 
(45  :  8-17;   46  :  16-18) 

The  prince       Having  received  a  portion  of  his  own,  the  prince  must 

subject  to  ,  .  ,  f  ,  .  TT 

property  not  take  or  give  away  the  property  of  a  subject.  He  may 
U^S;  46:  only  allot  the  land  to  the  tribes  in  accordance  with  Jeho- 
16-18)  vah's  will.     His  own  property  he  may  give  to  one  of  his 

sons  in  perpetuity.  If  granted  to  a  subject,  the  land  re- 
To  regulate  verts  to  the  prince  in  the  jubilee  year.  He  shall  establish 
measures"  ^  correct  scalc  of  weights  and  measures,  so  that  all  rob- 
(45 :  9-12)  5gj.y  Qf  j.|^g  people  in  his  name  shall  cease.  They  ghall 
The  support  pay  over  to  him  for  the  support  of  the  ritual  one-sixtieth 
(45 :  13-17)   of  their  produce  of  wheat  or  barley,  one-one-hundredth  of 

their  oil,  and  one  out  of  every  two  hundred  lambs.     The 

prince  shall  in  turn  provide  that  which  is  needful  for  all 

the  stated  public  sacrifices, 

(5)    The  Stated  Offerings  (45  :  18  to  46  :  15) 
The  atone-  •     Qu  the  first  day  of  the  new^  year '  and  on  the  first  day 

mentforthe  ,  i       ,  •  ,     ,i    r  hi 

sanctuary     of  the  Seventh  month  the  priests  shall  formally  cleanse 


(45: 


the  temple  by  applying  the  blood  of  an  unblemished  bul- 
lock to  the  doorposts  of  the  sanctuary,  to  the  corners  of 

1  According  to  our  calendar  about  the  fifteenth  of  March. 
124 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  46  :  10 

the  altar  and  to  the  posts  of  the  gateway  of   the   inner 
court.     Thus  shall  it  be  kept  absolutely  sacred. 

In  the  middle  of  the  first  month  ^  shall  be  held  the  feast  The  offer- 
of  the  Passover.     On  the  first  day  the  prince  shall  offer  in  pSsmer 
atonement  for  himself  and  the  people  a  bullock,  and  in  nades^^^"^' 
addition,  daily  burnt  offerings  for  a  week,  with  the  appro-  (45 :  21-25) 
priate  cereal  offerings  and  oil,  and  a  sin-offering  for  each 
day. 

Similarly,  at  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  six  months  later, 
shall  be  provided  all  that  is  needed  for  the  public  offerings 
throughout  the  sacred  week. 

In  ordinary  weeks  the  eastern  gate  of  the  inner  court  Regulations 
shall  be  open  only  on  Sabbath  days  and  the  days  of  the  Ind^new"'^' 
new  moon.     At  such  times  the  people  shall  assemble  for  J^6Ti%) 
worship  in  front  of  the  gate,  while  the  prince  may  ascend 
the  steps,  pass  through  the  gateway,  and  stand   at  the 
threshold  which  opens  upon  the  inner  court.     Every  Sab- 
bath the  prince  shall  offer  a  burnt  offering  of  six  rams  and 
one  lamb,  with  the  suitable  proportion  of  cereal  offerings 
and  of  oil.     On  the  day  of  the  new  moon  he  shall  make 
the  same  offering  with  the  addition  of  a  bullock 

After  performing  his  duties  in  the  temple,  the  prince  Various reg- 
shall  return  as  he  entered.     The  multitude,  however,  to  u^JTiz) 
prevent  confusion  on  a  festal  day,  shall  enter  the  outer 
court  by  one  gate  and  depart  by  the  opposite  one.     Both 
prince  and  people  shall  worship  at  the  same  time.     If  the 

'  About  the  first  of  April. 


Ezekiel  46  :  12 


Messages  of  the 


The  daily 
burnt  offer 


ing 
(46: 


3-15) 


Its  source 
(47  :  1.  2) 


Its  size 
(47  :  3-7) 


Its  effect 
(47  :  8-12) 


prince  desires  to  make  a  special  offering,  the  eastern  gate 
of  the  main  court  may  be  opened  for  the  purpose. 

For  every  day  in  the  year  the  prince  shall  provide  a 
yearling  lamb  as  a  morning  burnt  offering  with  the  suit- 
able offerings  of  flour  and  oil. 

3.  The  Renewing  and  Allotment  of  the  Land  (47  ;  48) 
(l)  The  Fertilizing  Stream  from  the  Temple  (47  :  1-12) 
Again  my  celestial  guide  brought  me  to  the  inner 
court  and  showed  me  a  stream  of  pure  water  issumg 
from  beneath  the  porch  of  the  temple,  passing  the  altar 
on  the  south  side  and  emerging  from  the  temple  near  the 
outer  eastern  gate.  Fifteen  hundred  feet  away  from  the 
gate  the  water  was  ankle-deep ;  farther  on  it  covered  the 
knee  ;  soon  the  stream  became  an  unfordable  river  that 
could  be  crossed  only  by  swimming.  Along  its  banks 
grew  an  abundance  of  trees.  "Mortal  one,"  said  my 
companion,  "  behold  this  river  of  life-giving  water  spring- 
ing from  the  very  presence  of  God.  Down  the  barren 
slopes  of  the  Judean  wilderness  it  will  pour,  restoring 
them  to  productiveness.  It  shall  freshen  even  the  Dead 
Sea,  so  that  fishermen  shall  ply  their  trade  there  as  on  the 
Great  Sea.  Its  desolation  shall  disappear.  Only  so  much 
shall  remain  unchanged  as  will  supply  the  salt  which 
human  life  demands.  All  along  the  banks  of  the  river 
shall  grow  every  kind  of  useful  tree,  perennially  fruitful. 
Thus  shall  the  land  be  made  a  paradise." 
126 


Later  Prophets  Ezekiel  48  :  14 


(2)    The  Boundaries  of  the  Land  {4,"]  :  13-20) 

This  is  the  will  of  Jehovah,  O  Israel,  respecting  the  ex-  Only  terri- 
tent  of  the  fertilized  land,  which  you  shall  equally  share  Jordan  to  be 
among  the  twelve  tribes.     Its  northern  boundary  shall  ex- Ihe  new  land 
tend  from  the  sea,  not  far  from  Tyre,  and  run  eastward  J'^yf^a^llo) 
to  the  vicinity  of  Dan.     Its  eastern  boundary  shall  be  the 
river  Jordan  and  its  connected  seas.     The  southern  boun- 
dary  shall  extend   from    Tamar    below   the   Dead   Sea, 
through  Kadesh,  along  the  Brook  of  Egypt  to  the  Medit- 
erranean Sea,  which  shall  constitute  its  western  boundary. 

(3)  The  Allotment  of  the  Land  (47  :  21  to  48  :  29) 

Although  this  land  shall  be  divided  among  the  tribes,  The  rights 
strangers  not  of  Israelitish  blood,  who  have  adopted  the  \i,^n^.Il)^ 
worship  of  Jehovah  and  abide  by  all  the  ordinances,  shall 
have  equal  rights  with  those  who  are  of  Israel.     They 
shall  have  an  inheritance  among  the  members  of  the  tribe 
in  which  they  sojourn. 

Seven  tribes  shall  be  given  allotments  north  of  the  por-  The  tribes 

r  1  T-^  A1-H.T1,-    north  of  the 

tion  set  apart  for  sacred  purposes  :  Dan,  Asher,  Naphtali,  resers'ation 
Manasseh,  Ephraim,  Reuben,  and  Judah.    Each  tribe  shall  ^"^^  "  ^"^^ 
occupy  a  zone  extending  from  the  Jordan  to  the  sea. 

South  of  Judah's  allotment  shall  be  the  sacred  reserv^a-  The  reser- 
tion,  inhabited  by  the  Levites  and  by  the  priests.     None  J'^^'^S.^af'^ 
of  it  shall  ever  be  sold  or  exchanged  or  alienated  by  them, 
for  it  is  Jehovah's  land. 

127 


Ezekiel  48  :  15-35 

South  of  the  portion  allotted   to  the  priests  shall  be  a 
zone,  one-half  as  large,  in  which  the  city  Jerusalem  shall 
be  built.     It  shall  be  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  square. 
Its  public  lands  shall  extend  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
tive  feet  on   every  side.     The  rest  of  the  territory,  about 
nine  square  miles,  shall  be  devoted  to  agricultural   pur- 
poses.    The  inhabitants  shall  come  from  all  Israel.     On 
both  sides  of  the  sacred  reservation,  that  he  may  pro- 
tect it,  shall  be  the  domain  of  the  prince. 
The  tribes        South  of  the  reservation  five  tribes  shall  be  given  allot- 
Se'^ation^  mcnts !  Benjamin,  Simeon,  Issachar,  Zebulon,  and  Gad. 
(48  :  23-29)    This  territory,  two  hundred  miles  by  an  average  of  fifty, 
shall  be  the  possession  of  the  tribes  of  Israel  forever. 

(4)  The  Holy  City  (48  :  30-35) 

The  circuit,  The  city  shall  have  three  gates  on  each  side  named  after 
name'oTthe  ^hc  ancicnt  tHbes.  Its  whole  circuit  shall  be  about  live 
new  city  miles.'  The  city  shall  no  longer  be  designated  by  its  old 
(48:30-35)     ^       .,.  ,  ,     1,   1  u        r  •    A-     ^ 

familiar  name,  but  shall  be  worthy  of  a  new  one,  indicat- 
ing that  God  dwells  with  his  people.  All  shall  call  it, 
"Jehovah  is  there." 

>  The  present  city,  excluding  the  suburbs,  has  a  circuit  of  2j^  miles. 


128 


SONGS    OF     EXULTATION    OVER 
BABYLON'S   APPROACH- 
ING FALL. 


SONGS     OF     EXULTATION     OVER    BABY- 
LON'S   APPROACHING   FALL 


THE    RISE    OF    CYRUS 

Ezekiel's  latest  prophecy  is  dated  570  B.  C.  Probably 
before  that  time  Jeremiah's  long  life-work  came  to  an 
end.  From  the  middle  of  the  period  of  the  Babylonian 
exile  no  prophecies  which  can  be  dated  with  certainty 
have  been  preserved.  While  the  strong  hand  of  Nebu- 
chadrezzar ruled  the  Babylonian  empire  the  Jews  were 
apparently  subjected  to  no  serious  persecutions,  nor  was 
there  anything  in  the  political  outlook  to  arouse  hopes  of 
deliverance ;  the  prophets  therefore  were  silent. 

Although  under  the  immediate  successors  of  Nebu- 
chadrezzar there  was  no  radical  change  of  policy  to  the 
close  observer,  the  internal  weakness  of  the  empire  began 
to  be  apparent.  The  accession  of  the  usurper  Naboni- 
dus  in  555  B.  C.  marked  the  beginning  of  the  end.  He 
had  none  of  the  prestige  nor  executive  ability  of  the  con- 
queror of  Jerusalem.  His  interests  were  with  the  gods 
131 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

and  traditions  of  the  past  rather  than  with  his  subjects 
and  the  problems  which  pressed  upon  them.  While  dan- 
gers threatened,  he  devoted  himself  to  excavating  the 
sites  of  ancient  temples,  neglecting  his  duties  as  king. 
The  inevitable  result  was  that  the  civil  and  military  or- 
ganization of  the  state  fell  into  decay,  while  the  confi- 
dence and  loyalty  of  the  people  toward  their  antiquarian 
king  waned,  so  that  when  the  crisis  came  the  empire  col- 
lapsed suddenly  and  completely. 

Its  strength  and  vast  resources  might  have  preserved  it 
intact  had  not  a  powerful  and  energetic  foe  arisen  in  the 
north.  The  rise  of  Cyrus  from  comparative  obscurity  to 
the  rule  over  all  of  southwestern  Asia  was  so  sudden  and 
unexpected  that  it  took  the  ancient  world  completely  by 
surprise.  In  549  B.  C.  this  king  of  the  little  kingdom  of 
of  Anzan,  located  among  the  mountains  to  the  northeast 
of  Babylonia,  espousing  the  cause  of  the  older  Aryan  pop- 
ulation, defeated  his  overlord,  the  Scythian  king  Astyages, 
and  by  this  act  became  master  of  the  large  but  loosely  or- 
ganized empire  which  the  northern  invaders  had  built  up- 
on the  ruins  of  Assyria. 

The  new  conqueror  was  quickly  able  to  amalgamate 
the  varied  elements  under  him  and  by  his  personal  ability 
and  energy  to  develop  an  efficient  army.  Fortunately  for 
him  the  strongest  rivals,  the  Babylonians  under  Naboni- 
dus,  were  inactive.  He  was,  therefore,  able  to  meet  his 
foes  in  succession  and  to  strengthen  his  position  on  every 
132 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

side  before  attacking  the  proud  mistress  of  the  lower 
Euphrates.  He  appears  also  to  have  instituted  intrigues 
in  Babylon  calculated  still  further  to  alienate  the  subjects 
of  Nabonidus  and  to  prepare  the  way  for  their  ready  sub- 
mission when  the  attack  came. 

After  having  conquered  in  547  B.  C.  the  territory  of 
Mesopotamia  lying  to  the  north  of  Babylonia,  he  turned 
westward  in  the  following  year  to  meet  the  attack  of  the 
rich,  powerful  Lydian  king  Croesus.  After  fighting  an  in- 
decisive battle, he  followed  up  his  rival,  defeated  him.  and 
within  an  incredibly  short  time  was  in  possession  of  his 
wealthy  capital  and  kingdom. 

He  next  attacked  the  opulent  Greek  colonies  on  the 
coast  of  the  ^gean  Sea.  Many  of  these  were  not  lack- 
ing in  courage,  and  so  offered  a  desperate  resistance,  but 
the  rapid  advance  of  Cyrus  gave  them  no  opportunity  to 
effect  a  general  organization  against  their  dread  foe.  The 
result  was  that  most  of  them  quickly  submitted,  while 
those  who  refused  were  not  able  to  hold  out  long  against 
such  overwhelming  numbers  as  the  Persian  king  was  able 
to  launch  against  them.  In  the  end,  after  a  series  of  sig- 
nal victories,  Cyrus  returned  to  his  capital,  supreme  lord 
of  all  of  the  states  of  Asia  Minor. 

The  restless,  half-civilized  peoples  to  the  east  of  his 
empire  next  commanded  his  attention.  Here  again  he 
and  his  army  secured  nor  only  vast  territory  and  spoil, 
but  also  great  prestige,  so  that  by  the  autumn  of  538  B.  C, 

^12> 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

when  he  turned  his  armies  against  Babylon,  victory  was 
practically  assured. 

II 

THE    DATE    AND    AUTHORSHIP    OF    ISAIAH    I3   I  2    tO 

14  :  23  ;  21  :  i^-io  ;  jeremiah  50  :  i  to  51  :  58 

The  period  following  the  overthrow  of  the  rule  of  Asty- 
ages  by  Cyrus  in  549  B.  C.  furnishes  the  most  probable 
background  of  a  series  of  brief  prophecies,  appended  to 
the  original  writings  of  Jeremiah  and  Isaiah,  which  treat 
of  the  approaching  downfall  of  Babylon.  In  Jeremiah 
50  :  I  to  51  :  58  the  prophet  and  his  readers  behold  in 
the  north  the  people  who  are  to  deliver  them.  They  are 
clearly  the  Medo-Persians  under  Cyrus,  although  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  terminology  which  continued  in  use 
even  after  the  death  of  the  great  conqueror,  they  are 
styled  simply  the  Medes.  Babylon's  destruction  is  looked 
for  in  the  future,  so  that  the  prophecy  must  have  been 
written  before  539  B.  C.  In  the  middle  or  earlier  part 
of  the  decade  is  found  the  most  probable  date  of  the 
original  sections. 

The  prophecy  was,  without  much  doubt,  in  time  attrib- 
uted to  the  great  Jeremiah,  or  at  least  joined  to  the  collec- 
tion of  his  sermons,  because  of  the  tradition  preserved  in 
the  closing  verses  of  chapter  5 1,  to  the  effect  that  "  he  wrote 
134 


Later  PropJiets  Isaiah 

in  a  book  all  the  evil  that  should  come  upon  Babylon  " ; 
that  he  made  a  prediction  concerning  that  great  world- 
power  is  undoubtedly  historical.  Several  of  his  prophecies 
respecting  the  Babylonians  have  been  preserved,  but  a 
study  of  them  makes  it  probable  that  Jeremiah  was  not 
the  author  of  the  present  one.  Not  only  is  the  style  dif- 
ferent, but  the  point  of  view  also  is  quite  other  than  that 
of  Jeremiah.  A  familiarity  with  Babylon  and  with  the 
politics  of  the  East,  which  would  be  impossible  to  a  Jew 
who  had  never  crossed  the  Euphrates,  is  also  apparent. 
The  prophet  who  wrote  these  chapters  had  obviously  not, 
like  Jeremiah,  received  special  favors  from  the  Babylonians, 
but  instead  recalled  only  wrongs  and  insults  received  from 
their  hands.  He  was  also  familiar  with  certain  of  Ezekiel's 
prophecies,  wTitten  probably  after  the  death  of  Jeremiah. 
He  was,  perhaps,  a  disciple  of  one  of  the  great  prophets. 
Although  his  prophecy  lacks  the  originality,  literary  finish, 
and  permanent  value  of  his  master's,  it  affords  a  glimpse 
into  the  hearts  of  the  faithful  exiles  and  records  the 
triumph  of  inspired  faith  at  a  critical  moment  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Jewish  race. 

The  same  date,  although  probably  not  the  same  author, 
has  given  us  the  prophecy  found  in  Isaiah  13  :  2  to  14 :  23. 
The  political  problems  w^hich  were  insistent  in  the  days 
of  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amoz  have  long  been  forgotten.  The 
Babylonians  instead  of  being  fellow-rebels  with  the  He- 
brews, as  they  were  in  the  time  of  Hezekiah,  are  the  mas- 

135 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

ters  and  hated  oppressors  of  the  Jews.  The  exile,  which 
Isaiah  at  the  most  only  hinted  at  as  a  distant  danger,  has 
long  been  a  reality ;  and  the  promise  of  restoration  to 
Judah  is  presented  by  the  prophet.  The  Medes  are  al- 
ready crossing  the  northern  frontier  of  Babylon,  Many 
ideas  peculiar  to  the  exilic  and  post-exilic  writers  also  find 
expression  in  this  section.  The  style  likewise  is  not  that 
of  Isaiah  but  of  the  later  prophets. 

Striking  points  of  contrast  between  Jeremiah  50 :  i  to 
51  :  58  and  this  prophecy  suggest  that  the  author  of  the 
one  influenced  the  other.  If  so,  the  passage  in  Isaiah  is 
the  more  original  and,  therefore,  probably  slightly  earlier. 

To  the  same  group  belongs  the  short  section,  Isaiah 
21  :  i-io.  Its  theme  is  the  fall  of  Babylon.  Media  and 
Elam  (from  whence  Cyrus  came)  are  urged  to  advance 
against  the  oppressor.  The  end,  however,  is  seen  only 
by  aid  of  the  prophetic  vision.  The  language  of  the  pas- 
sage has  many  points  of  affinity  with  that  of  Isaiah,  but 
the  extreme  obscurity  of  its  thought  is  in  striking  contrast 
with  the  clear,  direct  messages  of  the  pre-exilic  prophet. 
While  the  exile  and  the  years  immediately  following  the 
appearance  of  Cyrus  furnish  the  only  satisfactory  historical 
setting,  its  indefiniteness  suggests  that  it  is  the  earliest  of 
the  three  prophecies. 


136 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  21  :  10 


III 

PREDICTIONS     OF      THE      FALL      OF      BABYLON      (iSA. 

21  :  ib-io  ;  13  :  2  to  14  :  23  ;  jer.  50  :  2  to  51:  58) 

I.   The  Vision  of  Coming  Overthrow  (Isa.  21  :  ib-io) 

Like   the   dreaded  wind-storm  from  the   desert   came  Content  of 
to  me  a  revelation  of  desolation  and  judgment  about  to(2r:  ib-2) 
fall  upon  the  destructive  robber-nation,  Babylonia.     Ad- 
vance, O  Cyrus,  from  your  mountain  home  in  Elam  at 
the  head  of  the  Medo-Persian  army  which  you  are  forming. 
Babylon  shall  soon  cease  to  afflict  the  nations. 

As  I  contemplated  the  overwhelming  catastrophe  which  Effect  upon 
was  about  to  overtake  the  proud  city,  I   was  overcome  (2 r:^3"5)  ^ 
with  mingled   regret,  dismay,  and  terror.     While   I  ob- 
served the  display  and  luxury  of  its  inhabitants,  I  thought 
of  the  deadly  attack  which  its  rulers  would  soon  be  obliged 
to  meet,  when  least  they  expected  it. 

At  the  divine  command  I  stationed  a  watchman  to  report  Report  of 
the  first  appearance  of  the  hostile  Persian  army.     As  he  Icts^^'tch-^^' 
carefully  scanned  the  political  horizon  he  saw  the  cavalry  J^i"6-io) 
in   double   rank    advancing.      Then   by  anticipation   he 
raised  the  cry  :   "  Fallen  is  Babylon,  and  all  the  images  of 
her  gods  are  broken  in   fragments."     O  exiles,  objects 
of  Jehovah's  crushing  judgment,  victims  of  Babylonian 
greed  and  cruelty,  learn  from  this  vision  the  message  of 
137 


Isaiah  13  :  2  Messages  of  the 

hope  and  promise  which  your  God  thus  announces  to 
you. 

2.  Jehovah's  Judg7ne7it  upon   Babylon    (Isa.    13  :  2    to 
14  :  23) 
The  agents       The  divine  decree  has  gone  forth  to  raise  in  a  conspic- 
]°ud|ment   ^  uous  placc  the  Standard  of  war,  and  to  send  forth  the  proc- 
(13 :  a-6)      lamation.     Already  Jehovah  has  consecrated  and  commis- 
sioned the  victorious  Persians  to  carry  out  his  righteous 
purpose.     They  advance,  a  great  host  enlisted  from  many 
and  distant  nations.     They  are  his  agents,  appointed  to 
execute  his  judgment  upon  mankind. 
The  horrors      When  the  day  of  Jehovah  comes,  the  strong  shall  be 
of  Jehovah    powerless,  the  stanchest  hearts  shall  quail,  and  men  shall 


(13  :  7-16) 


be  seized  with  mortal  agony.  Then  toward  those  who 
have  defied  his  laws,  Jehovah  will  show  not  mercy  but 
fierce  indignation.  All  nature  will  join  with  him  in  carry- 
ing out  his  just  sentence  against  the  guilty,  arrogant, 
and  tyrannical.  So  universal  shall  be  the  destruction  that 
only  a  few  men  will  be  left  to  people  the  earth.  The 
thunder,  the  lightning,  and  the  earthquake  shall  be  mes- 
sengers of  his  wrath.  Men  shall  flee  like  sheep  without  a 
shepherd,  each  seeking  a  refuge  in  his  own  land,  but  in 
vain.  Those  who  are  captured  will  be  slain  by  the  con- 
querors, their  children  ruthlessly  slaughtered  in  their  pres- 
ence, their  wives  ravished,  and  their  houses  pillaged. 
The  agents  of  Jehovah's  judgment  are  already  at  hand  ; 

138 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  14:7 


thev  are  the  victorious  Medes,  now  organized  and  led  by  the  The  Medes 

.  1  1        1         rr-     to  execute 

Strong  hand  of  Cyrus.    Bribes  will  not  turn  them  back.    To  vengeance 
none  do  they  show  mercy.     Before  them,  proud,  imperial  Jf„*^"    **  ^' 
Babylon  shall  go  down  in  ruin,  as  complete  as  that  which  ^^3  :  17-223) 
Jehovah  visited  upon  the  corrupt  cities  on  the  plain  beside 
the  salt  sea.    Uninhabited,  its  desolate  ruins  shall  be  avoid- 
ed even  by  the  wandering  shepherd.     Foul  beasts   and 
birds  of  prey  and  vile  spirits  shall  infest  its  luxurious  pal- 
aces. 

That  day  is  near ;  you  will  not  have  long  to  wait,  O  The  restor- 

-'  •'  ^  atiun  of  Je- 

exiles.     [Soon  Jehovah  will  take  pity  upon  his  aftiicted  hovah's 
people,  and  will  restore  them  to  their  land.     Foreigners,  ['^3''? 2%  to 
as  proselytes,  will  join  themselves  to  the  Jews  and  thus  "-^  '  3) 
swell  their  depleted  ranks.     The  heathen   nations,  their 
present    foes,  will    then    aid    in    restoring   them.      Then 
Jehovah's  people  will  be,  not  the  slaves,  but  the  masters 
of  their  present  captors.     Then   shall   they  enjoy  peace 
and  immunity  from  the  tasks  and  pains  of   the  present. 
Upon   their  lips  will  be  this  song  of  derision  over  fallen 
Babylon  :] 

"  Behold  how  the  proud  city,  rich  from  the   spoil    of  Ode  of  tri- 
countless  nations,  has  at  last  come  to  an  end  !     Because  faTiL  nlby 
these  Babylonians  sought  only  to  destroy  and   to  crush  J°"  .  ^.^i) 
other  peoples  who  fell  under   their   sway,  Jehovah   has 
broken  their  power.     As  a  result  peace  and  joy  have  come 
to  all    mankind.     The  whole   universe  joins    in  exulting 
over  the   fact  that  just  retribution  has  at  last  overtaken 

139 


Isaiah  14  :  9  Messages  of  the 

you,  O  cruel  Babylon.  Sheol  has  eagerly  received  you,  and 
all  your  pomp  and  vain  glory  have  gone  down  to  the  land 
of  shades.  You  have  been  brought  low,  you  who  were 
the  most  distinguished  among  the  great  nations  of  the 
earth  ;  you  who  purposed  not  only  to  conquer  all  the  hab- 
itable earth,  but  also  to  mount  the  heavens,  and,  ejecting 
God  from  his  throne,  to  rule  omnipotently.  To  the  low- 
est depths  of  degradation  shall  you  fall.  Succeeding  gen- 
erations, observing  your  humiliation,  shall  inquire  wonder- 
ingly,  '  Can  this  be  the  people  who  caused  the  whole 
world  to  tremble  with  fear,  and  who  carried  away  so  many 
captives  into  unending  confinement  ?  '  Other  conquerors 
have  been  honorably  interred  by  their  subjects,  but  you 
shall  be  cast  forth,  dishonored  and  unburied,  because  you 
have  brought  only  ruin  to  your  own  and  other  lands. 
Your  descendants  will  also  be  the  objects  of  divine  judg- 
ment, lest  the  corrupt  and  destructive  race  overrun  the 
entire  earth." 
Jehovah's  Jchovah  Solemnly  declares  that  he  will  completely  ex- 
tinguish the  Babylonian  nation,  so  that  no  offspring  shall 
survive  in  future  ages.  After  his  sentence  of  destruction 
has  been  executed,  its  land  shall  be  a  desolate,  deserted  ruin. 

3.  Retributiu7i  for  Babylon  and  Restorati07t  for  Israel 
Qer.  50  :  2  to  51  :  58) 

Let  all  the  nations  know  that  Babylon's  doom  is  sealed. 
Her  gods,  in  which  she  now  places  implicit  trust,  are  soon 
140 


d 

U4  :  22,  23) 


Later  Prophets  Jeremiah  50  :  12 

to  be  subjected  to  ignominy  and  disgrace.     Already  from  ^^^^^^ 
the  north  the  foes  are  approaching  which  are  destmed  doom 
to  break  her  power  and  devastate  her  land. 

In  the  new  era  just  dawning,  the  chosen  people  of  The  t^^^^j- 
Jehovah  in  true  penitence  will  seek  their  God.  The  de-  ismei^^  ^^ 
scendants  of  the  northern  and  southern  Israelites  shall 
earnestly  crave  the  restoration  of  the  old  life  about  the 
sacred  temple  mount,  and  the  establishment  of  a  close 
and  binding  relationship  between  them  and  Jehovah, 
which  they  will  not  disregard  as  did  their  fathers. 

Tragic  has  been  their  history,  and  pitiable  is  their  pres- The^P^^^ent 
ent  condition,  for  they  are  as  lost  sheep,  misled  by  their tionoUeho- 
natural  leaders.     Scattered  far  and  wide,  they  have  for-  [5^0  :  6, 7) 
gotten  their  home-land.     They  are  the  helpless  victims  of 
their  enemies,  who  declare  that  it  is  no  crime  to  destroy 
them  because  their  gross  sins  have  made  them  the  objects 
of  JehovahJs  wrath. 

At  last  escape,  O  Jewish  exiles,  from  the  land  of  your  Relief  shall 
caotivitv      Vie  with  each  other  in  the  alacrity  with  which  through  the 

^"r  J'  1  1  1  TT       overthrow 

you  flee  from  the  midst  of  this  condemned  people.  )i  or  ^f  Babylon 
Jehovah  is  about  to  array  hostile  hordes  from  the  north  (5°=  8-16) 
against  them,  whose  might  and  military  equipment  shall 
be  irresistible.  Babylon  shall  prove  a  rich  spoil  to  the 
conqueror.  This  judgment  shall  fall  upon  the  Babylo- 
nians because  they  took  a  heartless  pleasure  in  plundering 
and  destroying  Judah.  They  in  turn  shall  experience  the 
same  horrors.  As  they  did  to  others  shall  it  be  done  to 
141 


Jeremiah  50  :  16 


Messages  of  the 


Israel's 

tragic  past 

contrasted 

with  its 

glorious 

future 

(50  :  17-20) 


The  divine 

vengeance 

awaiting 

Babylon 

(50:21-32) 


them.  In  the  days  of  their  humiUation,  the  nations  which 
they  wronged  shall  turn-  against  them.  Desolation,  de- 
struction, and  terror  shall  overwhelm  them. 

In  the  past  the  chosen  people  of  Jehovah  have  been  the 
prey,  first  of  the  fierce  Assyrians  and  then  of  the  Baby- 
lonians, but  nov/  the  course  of  their  history  is  about  to 
change.  Jehovah  has  determined  to  take  vengeance  upon 
the  Babylonians,  even  as  he  did  upon  the  Assyrians. 
Then  will  he  bring  back  his  scattered  people  to  the  fertile 
land  of  Canaan,  there  to  satisfy  alike  their  physical  and 
their  spiritual  wants,  for  he  will  completely  pardon  the 
sins  of  those  who  then  survive. 

Advance,  O  agents  of  Jehovah's  judgment,  against  Baby- 
Ion,  the  most  defiant  and  guilty  of  people  ;  slay  and  spare 
nothing,  for  it  is  the  divine  command.  Already  the  great 
conflict  is  on  and  the  destruction  of  this  destroyer  of 
nations  has  begun.  Already  Jehovah  has  begqn  to  bring 
low  this  mighty  kingdom  which  has  so  long  bade  defiance 
to  him.  Against  it  he  is  sending  the  strong  people  who 
are  to  execute  his  vengeance.  Spoil,  plunder,  spare 
neither  man  nor  beast,  for  its  guilt  leaves  no  place  for 
mercy.  Soon  fire  and  the  sword  will  complete  the  work 
of  destruction.  Long,  and  with  no  visible  prospect  of 
escape,  have  the  descendants  of  the  northern  and  south- 
ern Israelites  been  held  as  captives  by  their  oppressors,  but 
Jehovah  their  deliverer  is  omnipotent.  He  will  vindicate 
them  and  grant  them  peace  and  prosperity,  through  the 
142 


Later  Prophets  Jeremiah  51:9 

overthrow  of  the  Babylonians.     The  might  and  wisdom  The  com- 
of  these  arrogant  rulers  of  the  world  will  not  deliver  them  fhe'destriR-- 
from  Jehovah's   wrath.     The    avenging   sword    is  about  J.'g''",,g[^pf" 
to   cut  off  all  their  power,  pomp,  and  wrath.     The  de-  pressors 
structive  forces  of  nature  shall   assist  in  their   undoing. 
The  land  shall  become  a  barren  waste,  like  the  site  of  the 
cities  of  the  plain. 

Babylon's  destroyers  are  already  approaching  from  the  Picture  of 
north.     They  are  a  mighty  nation,  formed  by  the  union  of^th^^de*-^ 
of  many  peoples  from  far  and  near  ;  they  are  well  equipped  ^umrn'oned 
and  show  no  mercy  to  their  foes.     The  sound  of  their  by  Jehovah 
advance  is  like  that  of  the  surging   sea.     The  king  of 
Babylon  loses  all  courage  as  he  hears  of  their  approach. 
Terror  and  distress  destroy  his  power  of  action  and  chill 
his  heart.     Like  a  strong  lion  they  are  about  to  leap  upon 
their  helpless  prey.     All  this  is  but  the  carrying  out   of 
Jehovah's  omnipotent  purpose.     They  are  the  agents  of 
Babylon's   overthrow.     Soon    the    whole   earth    shall    be 
shaken  by  the  great  catastrophe. 

Since  Jehovah  so  plainly  reveals  to  his  guilty  but  now  Let  Israel 
forgiven  people  the  overwhelming  fate  awaiting  Babylon,  1  e'^aVr 
let  them  hold  themselves   in   readiness  to   flee,  lest  they  ^    u'^f^ 

•'Babylon 

suffer  in  the  time  of  universal  destruction.     Babylon  has  (51 : 1-14) 
been  an  agent  of  judgment  in  Jehovah's  hand,  but  now 
she  has  completed  her  work.     Her  fate  is  sealed,  since 
she  refused  to  learn  from  the  ambassadors  of  Jehovah. 
It  only  remains  for  us,  the  foreign  exiles  in  her  midst,  to 

M3 


Jeremiah  51:9  Messages  of  the 

return  to  our  own  lands,  and  so  avoid  the  consequences 
of  the  far-extended  judgment  which  will  come  upon  her. 
Our  God  by  her  overthrow  is  vindicating  our  righteous- 
ness. Therefore  let  us  devote  ourselves  to  re-establishing 
our  nation  in  Judah,  thereby  making  known  the  glorious 
deliverance  which  he  has  effected.  The  Median  princes 
are  already  completing  their  plans  for  the  destruction  of 
Babylon.  O  nation,  rich  in  resources,  surrounded  by 
huge  walls  and  deep  moats,  confident  of  your  strength, 
Jehovah  has  determined  to  lay  you  waste  ;  it  is  vain  for 
you  to  hope  to  escape  ! 
Jehovah  Jehovah  it  is  who  by  his  omniscience  and  omnipotence 

alone  IS  God  j  ,  , 

supreme       Created  and  now  rules  the  universe.     Its  forces  are  com- 

51 .  15-19      pietely  under  his  control.     Man  is  weak  and  ignorant  in 

comparison  with  him.     The  images  which  the   heathen 

worship  as  their  gods  are  vain  delusions,  the  inanimate 

products  of  the  hands  of  mortal  men,  while  Jehovah  is  the 

supreme  creator  and  ruler  of  everything  in  heaven  and  on 

the  earth. 

jSholIh's^       [You,  O  chosen  people,*  are  the  instrument  with  which 

instrument    Jehovah  wiU  realize   his  purpose  in   human   history  and 

(51 :  20-24)     wherewith  he  will  break  the  power  of  the  mighty  nation 

which  now  with  iron  hand  rules  the  world.     Upon  the 

*  Verses  20  to  24  interrupt  the  context  and  probably  were  interpolated. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  they  were  addressed  to  Israel,  Cyrus,  or  Babylon. 
In  view  of  the  thought  in  verse  24,  the  first  interpretation  has  been 
adopted. 

144 


Later  Prophets  Jeremiah  51  :  58 

Babylonians,  who  so  long  have  wronged  you,  he  will  visit 
the  punishment  for  their  crimes.] 

To  complete  the  destruction  the  warlike  nations  of  the  Detailed  de- 
north  draw  near.     In  their  terror  the  Babylonians  make  ?Kestml 
no  attempt  at  defence.     All  is  confusion.     The  rapacious  bn"  °^  ^^^^' 
people  who  swallowed  up,  like  a  great  fish,  little  Judah  at  <5i:  25-58) 
last  are  atoning  with  their  own  life-blood  for  the  violence 
done.     Let  the  Jewish  exiles  flee  from  the  doomed  city, 
already  given  over  by  Jehovah  to  the  spoilers. 


145 


THE     MESSAGES     OF    THE     GREAT 

PROPHET    OF    THE     EXILE 

(ISAIAH    40    TO    55) 


THE    MESSAGES    OF    THE    GREAT 

PROPHET    OF    THE    EXILE 

(Isaiah  40  to  55) 


THE    AUTHORSHIP,  UNITY,  AND   DATE  OF  ISAIAH   40 

TO  55 

In  the  entire  field  of  Old  Testament  prophecy  there  are 
found  no  more  striking  contrasts  in  style,  vocabulary,  and 
thought  than  exist  between  the  extracts  from  the  sermons 
of  the  great  statesman-prophet,  preserved  in  the  first  part  of 
the  Book  of  Isaiah,  and  the  glowing  messages  of  comfort 
and  encouragement  contained  in  chapters  40  to  55  of  the 
same  collection.  The  condensed,  forcible,  and  often  abrupt 
diction  of  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amoz  is  exchanged  for  a  flow- 
ing, poetical,  and,  at  times,  redundant  style.  In  general, 
the  one  is  the  product  of  the  public  orator,  adapting  his 
form  of  expression,  as  well  as  his  thought,  to  the  listening 
audience  before  him,  while  the  other  is  that  of  the  student, 
who  writes  in  private,  developing  his  elaborate  figures  and 
parallels  at  his  leisure.  The  vocabulary  and  idioms  pecul- 
iar to  each  also  differ  widely. 

149 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

No  great  prophet  who  followed  the  imperial  Isaiah  failed 
to  be  influenced  more  or  less  by  his  inspired  teachings. 
The  majesty  and  omnipotence  of  Jehovah,  the  supreme 
Ruler  of  the  universe,  are  emphasized  in  every  part  of  the 
Book  of  Isaiah,  but  many  new  conceptions  of  God  appear 
for  the  first  time  in  chapters  40  to  55.  Many  of  them  are 
peculiar  to  this  section,  but  others  reflect  the  experiences 
of  the  Hebrew  nation,  or  of  individual  members  of  that 
commonwealth,  during  the  century  and  a  half  following 
the  death  of  Isaiah  the  son  of  Amoz. 

Especially  do  the  life  experiences  and  teachings  of  Jer- 
emiah reappear  in  the  noble  setting  of  these  chapters. 
Principles  first  proclaimed  by  Ezekiel  are  re-emphasized. 
The  characteristic  style  and  thought  of  this  section  are  un- 
mistakably not  those  of  the  earlier  period,  but  of  the  exile. 

The  point  of  view  also  is  clearly  not  that  of  Isaiah,  who 
dealt  with  the  national  problems  forced  upon  Judah,  and 
who  spoke  of  captivity  as  only  a  distant  possibility,  con- 
ditioned upon  the  action  of  his  people  and  their  leaders,  but 
of  the  latter  part  of  the  Babylonian  exile.  The  prophet  is 
speaking  not  to  an  organized  nation,  but  to  a  handful  of  dis- 
heartened, afflicted  exiles.  The  denunciations  and  warn- 
ings of  the  past  are  no  longer  repeated.  Instead,  his 
watchw^ord  is  comfort.  His  aim  is  to  encourage  and  to 
inspire  within  doubting  hearts  faith  in  Jehovah  and  in  the 
future  of  their  race.  Captivity  is  no  longer  held  up  as  a 
threat ;  for  years  it  has  been  an  awful  reality  ;  but  now, 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

at  last,  the  prophet  proclaims,  in  a  hundred  varied  forms, 
that  deliverance  from  Babylon,  where  his  hearers  are 
living,  is  at  hand.  It  is  certain,  and  the  deliverer  has  ap- 
peared ;  he  is  Cyrus,  whose  career  the  Jewish  exiles,  like 
all  the  peoples  of  that  ancient  world,  were  watching  with 
terror  and  expectancy. 

These,  and  a  vast  array  of  kindred  facts,  have  led  mod- 
ern students  generally  to  recognize  in  chapters  40  to  55 
one  of  the  many  appendices,  added  during  the  exilic  and 
post-exilic  periods  by  chance,  or.  more  probably,  intention- 
ally, because  of  their  intrinsic  beauty  of  thought  and  ex- 
pression, or  because  of  their  logical  connection  to  the 
earlier  sermons  of  the  prince  of  prophets.  The  associa- 
ting of  later  anonymous  pieces  of  literature  with  the 
name  of  some  prominent  personality,  like  Moses  or  David 
or  Solomon,  was  a  liberty  freely  taken  by  the  editors  of 
the  Old  Testament  writings. 

The  name  of  the  author  of  these  chapters,  like  that  of 
many  of  the  later  prophecies,  will  probably  never  be  known. 
Because  they  are  found  in  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  the  author 
has  been  designated  by  many  writers  as  "  the  Second 
Isaiah,"  or  "  the  Deutero-Isaiah."  This  term,  however, 
does  not  afifirm  that  he  actually  bore  the  name  Isaiah, 
although,  if  his  writings  were  not  one  of  many  appendi- 
ces in  the  present  book,  identity  of  name  might  furnish 
the  simplest  explanation  of  the  association.  By  some,  in 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  his  work  was  anonymous,  he 

151 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

has  been  styled  "  the  Great  Unknown."  The  originality 
and  grandeur  of  his  message,  his  surpassing  beauty  of 
expression,  and  the  profound  impression  which  he  made 
upon  the  minds  of  succeeding  generations  certainly  en- 
title him  to  the  designation  "  great."  To  distinguish  him 
from  other  contributors  to  the  Book  of  Isaiah,  we  have 
spoken  of  him  as  "  the  great  prophet  of  the  exile." 

As  will  be  shown  later,  chapters  56  to  66  of  the  book, 
in  all  probability,  come  from  the  post-exilic  period.  The 
unity  of  the  section  40  to  55  has  also  been  seriously  ques- 
tioned. Professor  Cheyne,  for  example,  assigns  chapters 
49  to  55  and  the  passages  describing  the  servant  of  Jeho- 
vah to  the  Persian  period.  The  recurring  cycles  of  thought 
and  the  frequent  repetition  of  the  same  ideas  in  nearly  the 
same  words  suggest  that  the  section  was  not  all  written 
at  once.  It  seems  rather  to  represent  extracts  from  tracts 
sent  out  to  the  exiles  on  different  occasions.  The  editing 
may  have  been  done  by  the  author  himself,  but  it  is  more 
probably  the  work  of  some  of  his  disciples.  Later  editors 
also  made  certain  additions,  but  in  the  spirit  of  the  original 
author,  so  that,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  passages,  the 
different  divisions  constitute  literary  units,  and  will  be 
treated  as  such  in  the  paraphrase. 

Notwithstanding  these  evidences  of  editorial  revision, 

the  testimony  of  the  data,  on  the  whole,  strongly  confirms 

the  conclusion  that  these  chapters  are  all  the  product  of 

the  same  inspired  mind,  and  come  from  the  closing  years 

152 


Later  PropJiets  Isaiah 

of  the  exile.  The  brilliant  literary  style,  which  makes  each 
of  them  a  classic,  was  imitated  by  later  writers,  but  never 
equalled.  Although  presented  in  many  varied  forms,  the 
same  distinctive  messages  of  immediate  deliverance  from 
exile,  and  of  victory  through  self-sacrificing  service,  reap- 
pear in  every  chapter.  There  are  also  no  suggestions  that 
the  revival  of  the  Judean  community  had  been  partially 
realized.  The  way  is  being  prepared  for  the  return,  and 
the  Restoration  is  proclaimed  with  a  confidence  which  is 
in  striking  contrast  with  the  discouragements  of  the  Per- 
sian period.  The  exuberance  of  hope  which  characterizes 
the  entire  section  is  peculiar  to  the  great  prophet  and  to 
the  last  decade  of  the  Babylonian  rule. 

Two  main  divisions  can  be  distinguished.  In  chapters 
40  to  48  the  doubts  and  temptations  of  the  exiles  are  met. 
By  authoritative  statement  and  by  arguments  the  prophet 
strives  to  dispel  their  fears  that  Jehovah  has  forever  for- 
saken them.  He  calls  their  attention  to  the  omnipotence 
and  universality  of  the  rule  of  their  God.  He  then  points 
out  the  many  reasons  why  Jehovah  will  surely  deliver 
them.  To  confirm  their  wavering  faith  by  visible  evidence 
he  pictures  the  weakness  of  Babylon,  and  boldly  declares 
that  Cyrus  is  Jehovah's  appointed  agent  of  deliverance. 

The  victorious  advance  of  this  great  conqueror  can  be 

traced  with  comparative  definiteness.    The  distant  peoples 

who  are  in  their  terror  resorting  with  blind  zeal  to  their 

gods  of  wood  and  metal,  in  the  hope  that  they  will  reveal 

153 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

the  future  and  deliver  their  devotees,  are  without  much 
doubt  the  Greek  colonies  of  western  and  southern  Asia 
Minor.  The  chapters  can,  therefore,  be  dated  with  rea- 
sonable certainty  in  the  years  immediately  following  the 
conquest  of  the  kingdom  of  Crcesus,  in  546  B.  C. 

In  the  second  section,  chapters  49  to  55,  there  are  no 
direct  references  to  Cyrus.  He  has  apparently  about  com- 
pleted his  work  of  preparing  for  the  deliverance.  The 
ironical  invectives  against  the  powerless  gods  of  the  Baby- 
lonians are  also  silenced.  The  inference  is  that  their  in- 
capacity has  been  demonstrated  to  the  minds  of  all  by  the 
impending  or  already  accomplished  conquest  of  their  wor- 
shippers by  Cyrus. 

Henceforth  the  energies  of  the  prophet  are  devoted  to 
arousing  the  enthusiasm  and  patriotic  zeal  of  his  fellow- 
exiles  sufficiently  to  lead  them  to  face  the  hardships  of  the 
return  to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  and  the  great  privations 
and  discouragements  which  certainly  awaited  them  at  the 
end  of  their  journey.  The  date  of  the  second  section  is, 
therefore,  to  be  found  not  far  from  538  B.  C.when  Cyrus 
by  the  conquest  of  Babylon  removed  all  political  barriers 
which  hitherto  had  deterred  the  exiled  peoples,  whom  he 
found  in  the  captured  city,  from  returning  to  their  homes. 


JS4 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

II 

THE    IDEAL    OF     SERVICE    PRESENTED    IN     THE    POR- 
TRAITS   OF    THE    TRUE    SERVANT    OF    JEHOVAH 

The  Babylonian  exile  shattered  many  dogmas  long 
cherished  by  the  Hebrew  race,  and  in  so  doing  prepared 
the  way  for  the  acceptance  of  nobler  doctrines.  The  old 
popular  belief  that  the  children  of  Israel  were  chosen  by 
Jehovah  simply  to  be  the  objects  of  his  especial  solicitude 
and  the  recipients  of  his  favor  no  longer  satisfied  the 
thoughtful  among  the  exiles  in  view  of  the  calamities 
which  had  overtaken  their  nation.  The  salutary  convic- 
tion was  also  forced  upon  them  by  the  evidence  of  their 
eyes  that  they  were  only  insignificant  members  of  the 
great  human  family.  The  burning  question  :  "  In  what 
sense  are  we  the  chosen  people  of  Jehovah  ?"  found  its 
true  answer  in  the  inspired  teachings  of  the  great  prophet 
of  the  exile.  "Your  greatness  and  superiority  consist 
not  in  what  you  possess,  nor  in  your  character,  but  in  the 
fact  that  you  have  been  selected  to  be  Jehovah's  represent- 
atives before  the  world,  and  to  be  his  witnesses.  To  that 
end  you  have  been  carefully  educated  by  him.  You  are 
chosen,  therefore,  to  give,  not  to  receive." 

After  the  destruction  of  the  Hebrew  kingdom  in  586 
B.  C,  largely  as  the  result  of  the  incapacity  and  crimes  of 
the  kings  and  princes  of  the  house  of  David,  the  future 
155 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

hopes  of  the  race,  for  a  period  at  least,  ceased  to  centre, 
as  much  as  they  had  in  the  earlier  days,  about  the  royal 
Messiah.  Cyrus  is  the  only  Messiah  to  whom  the  great 
prophet  of  the  exile  refers,  and  he  is  anointed  by  Jeho- 
vah to  bring  deliverance  to  the  Jewish  exiles  in  Babylon. 

As  the  breadth  and  greatness  of  the  mission  of  his  race 
were  revealed  to  the  inspired  author  of  Isaiah  40  to  55,  he 
employed  the  already  familiar  but  marvellously  felicitous 
term,  "  servant  of  Jehovah,"  to  describe  the  agent  by  whom 
God's  beneficent  purpose  for  mankind  was  to  be  realized. 
It  had  before  been  applied  to  individual  prophets,  priests, 
and  kings,  as  well  as  to  the  nation  collectively,  so  that  it 
called  up  a  host  of  inspiring  memories  in  the  mind  of 
every  Jew  who  heard  it.  It  was  a  word  which  had  the 
ordinary  meaning  of  slave.  It  suggested  complete  pos- 
session by  the  master.  The  title  "  servant  of  Jehovah," 
therefore,  implied,  on  the  one  hand,  that  the  life,  the  ener- 
gies, the  all  of  the  one  so  designated,  were  devoted  to  the 
service  of  his  God,  and  on  the  other,  that  the  Lord  stood 
in  a  peculiarly  intimate  relationship  to  his  slave.  Its 
essential  thought  was  the  same  as  that  of  a  Messiah  who 
was  anointed,  and  thus  commissioned  to  perform  a  specific 
service. 

Like  his  predecessors,  the  prophet  frequently  designates 
his  nation,  as  a  whole,  as  the  servant  of  Jehovah.  "  Thou 
Israel,  my  servant,  Jacob,  whom  I  have  chosen,  seed  of 
Abraham  my  lover,  whom  I  brought  from  the  ends  of  the 

'56 


Later  PropJicts  Isaiah 

earth  and  called  from  its  remotest  parts.  To  whom  I 
said  :  My  servant  art  thou ;  I  have  chosen  and  have  not 
rejected  thee  "  (41  : 8,  9).  To  interpret  the  broader  mean- 
ing of  this  term,  and  to  lead  his  race  to  recognize  all  the 
obligations  which  it  entailed,  was  the  chief  aim  of  the 
prophet. 

As  he  considered  the  real  character  and  thoughts  of  the 
representatives  of  his  nation  in  Babylon,  he  realized  with 
deep  regret  that  they  were  by  no  means  the  perfect  ser- 
vants of  Jehovah  who  were  called  for  at  that  great  crisis 
of  human  history  to  carry  out  the  divine  purpose.  In  dis- 
may he  exclaims  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  :  "  Ye  deaf,  hear  ; 
and  ye  blind,  look  up,  that  ye  may  see.  Who  is  blind 
but  my  servant  and  deaf  as  my  messenger.?"  (42  :  18,  19) 
and  yet,  he  adds  a  little  later  :  "  Ye  people  with  eyes,  but 
blind,  and  ye  with  ears,  but  deaf.  .  .  Ye  are  my 
witnesses,  says  Jehovah,  and  my  servant  whom  I  have 
chosen"  (43:8,  10^). 

Like  the  great  prophets  who  had  preceded  him,  the 
author  of  Isaiah,  40  to  55,  did  not  stop  after  having  de- 
nounced the  sins  and  incapacity  of  his  people,  but  also  set 
before  them  in  glowing  colors  the  ideal  which  he  wished 
them  to  attain.  Side  by  side  with  the  portraits  of  the 
exiles,  who  were  as  a  whole  very  imperfect  servants  of 
Jehovah,  he  places,  in  a  series  of  remarkable  passages, 
pictures  of  the  ideal  servant.  The  value  and  effectiveness 
of  this  type  of  teaching  are  obvious.  That  the  prophet 
157 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

aimed  thereby  primarily  to  influence  his  contemporaries 
so  that  they  would,  if  not  completely,  at  least  in  part  real- 
ize that  ideal  of  devoted,  self-sacrificing  service,  is  also 
evident.  Naturally  he  had  in  mind  especially  the  more 
faithful  ones  among  the  exiles,  who  though  persecuted  and 
oppressed,  were  still  asking  what  is  the  will  of  Jehovah. 
This  fact  of  the  intended  immediate  application  of  the 
teachings  respecting  the  perfect  servant  of  Jehovah,  is  well 
illustrated  in  the  fiftieth  chapter,  where,  after  declaring  in 
the  name  of  the  true  servant  that  he  must  be  the  victim  of 
cruel  wrongs  and  insults,  but  that  he  will  be  upheld  and 
vindicated  by  Jehovah,  the  prophet  turns  to  his  hearers 
and  says:  "Whoso  among  you  fears  the  Lord,  let  him 
obey  the  voice  of  his  servant ;  whoso  walks  in  darkness 
with  no  light,  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  and 
lean  upon  his  God  "  (50  :  10). 

In  portraying  the  ideal  servant,  the  prophet  clearly  de- 
rived certain  elements  from  the  experiences  of  the  spiritual 
heroes  of  his  nation's  past.  The  prophets  as  a  class  are 
prominently  before  his  mind,  and  especially  Jeremiah, 
whose  life  and  words  are  vividly  recalled  by  many  of  the 
passages ;  but  it  is  the  lot  of  the  faithful  in  the  exile,  the 
persecutions,  the  reviling,  and  the  doubts  which  he  himself 
shared,  that  furnish  the  background  and  the  darker  out- 
lines of  the  portraits.  With  these  elements  he  set  forth 
in  immortal  form  the  essential  character  and  experiences 
of  the  man  or  men  who  alone  would  perfectly  carry  out 

158 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

the  divine  will.  The  originality  and  completeness  of  the 
picture  are  conclusive  evidences  of  its  divine  origin.  With 
his  inspired  sight  the  prophet  saw,  not  the  man  or  men  of 
flesh  and  blood,  but  the  type  of  servant  required  for  the 
realization  of  the  divine  purpose  in  human  history. 

His  own  and  succeeding  generations  in  part — but  only 
in  part — realized  the  ideal  of  service.  Those  in  Babylon 
who  never  ceased  to  trust  and  serve  Jehovah,  although  in 
so  doing  they  were  the  objects  of  the  taunts  and  persecu- 
tions of  their  conquerors  and  their  apostate  brethren,  be- 
long to  that  number.  It  also  includes  such  men  as  Joshua 
the  priest  and  Zerubbabel  the  Davidic  prince,  who  in  520 
B.  C.  undertook  the  difficult  task  of  rebuilding  the  ruined 
temple.  Apparently  recalling  these  chapters,  Haggai 
addresses  Zerubbabel  as  the  servant  of  Jehovah  (2  :  23). 
The  ideal  was  ever  before  the  minds  of  the  faithful  in  the 
post-exilic  period.  Nehemiah  and  the  others  who  later 
followed  him  from  the  East,  leaving  behind  their  own 
interests  in  order  to  revive  their  prostrate  nation,  proved 
themselves,  just  in  so  far  as  they  were  faithful,  servants  of 
Jehovah.  No  one  man,  however,  nor  group  of  men,  com- 
pletely realized  this  ideal  of  service,  until  Jesus  of  Nazareth, 
acting  in  perfect  accord  with  the  divine  will,  not  only  ful- 
filled it,  but  also  revealed  still  more  clearly  by  his  life  and 
words  God's  purpose  to  redeem  mankind  from  its  un- 
natural sins.  Hence  those  who  disregard  their  historical 
setting  and  see  in  these  servant  passages  pure  predictions 
159 


Isaiah  40  :  i  Messages  of  the 

of  the  Christ  have  grasped  the  essential  fact.  They  fail, 
however,  to  profit  by  that  fuller  light  which  is  shed  upon 
these  marvellous  chapters  by  a  sympathetic  appreciation 
of  the  immediate  aims  of  their  author  and  by  a  knowledge 
of  the  existing  conditions  with  which  he  was  dealing. 
They  also  fail  to  recognize  with  Paul  (Acts  1 3  :  47)  that 
the  exalted  ideal  of  service  is  a  constant  divine  appeal  and 
command  to  every  human  being,  irrespective  of  age  or 
nationality,  to  become  a  perfect  servant  of  Jehovah. 


Ill 

THE     CERTAINTY     AND     THE    REASON     OF     THE    RE- 
LEASE OF  Jehovah's  people  (isa.  40  to  48) 

I.   The  Proclamation  that  Deliverance  is  at  Hand 
(40  :  i-ii) 

The  pro-  Jehovah's  message  to  his  people  through  his  prophets 

foft!thek°ey-  is  now  not  One  of  denunciation,  but  of  comfort.     With 

note  of  the 
following 


infinite  tenderness  he  speaks  to  the  sad  hearts  of  the  ex- 
ro^^/^2r  '^^^'  assuring  them  that  their  period  of  affliction  and  dis- 
cipline is  at  last  nearing  its  close  and  that  they  have  paid 
the  full  penalty  for  the  sins  of  their  nation. 
J|hovah's  The  proclamation  has  already  gone  forth  to  prepare  a 
restoration  royal  highway,  straight  and  smooth,  through  deserts  and 
(40 /a^sT^  ^  mountains  for  Jehovah,  our  God,  who  like  a  conquering 

160 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  40  :  12 

king  will  come  bringing  back  his  people.  Thus  before 
the  eyes  of  all  mankind  his  divine  might  and  majesty  will 
be  manifested.  It  shall  be.  because  he,  the  supreme  Ruler 
of  the  universe,  has  decreed  it. 

Scattered,  afflicted  and  weak  though  they  are,  let  not  Man  shall 
Jehovah's  people  doubt  the  fulfilment  of  this  proclama- "he  pu^pose^ 
tion.     As  a  prophet,  I  am  commanded  to  remind  them  °\  ^^^  ^"'^" 

^      *^  mte 

that  before  Jehovah  these  great  and  powerful  nations,  be-  (40 :  6-8) 
neath  w^hose  iron  hand  they  are  crushed,  are  but  as  the 
grass  or  delicate  flowers  which  fade  before  the  first  hot 
blast  which  he  sends.  All  their  material  power  and  pomp 
are  ephemeral ;  the  only  permanent  thing  in  this  world  is 
his  divine  purpose,  revealed  to  his  people  through  the 
promises  and  teachings  of  his  prophets. 

Let  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  announce  to  desolate  Jeru-  Jehovah  will 
salem  the  triumphant  return  of  Jehovah  begin  to  watch,  tS  jlrusalTm 
for  the  great  event  is  at  hand.     Let  them  declare  to  the  people'^ 
cities  of  Judah  that  their  divine  Deliverer,  like  an  invincible  (4°  :  9-11) 
conqueror,  is  already  advancing  to  vindicate  those  who  have 
been  faithful  to  him  and  to  punish  the  wicked.  With  the  ten- 
derness of  a  shepherd  he  will  lead  and  uphold  in  the  long 
and  wearisome  journey  the  weak  and  helpless  of  his  people. 

2.  Deliverance    Certain   because   the  Deliverer  is   Om- 
nipotent (40  :  12-31) 

Do  you  sometimes,  O  exiles,  question  Jehovah's  ability 
to  deliver  you  from  your  powerful  heathen  foes  ?     Con- 
161 


Isaiah  40  :  12  Messages  of  the 

No  other  be-  sidcr  his  infinite  might  and  wisdom  ;  he  it  was  who  alone 
umv'erse^to  crcatcd  and  regulates  this  universe.  No  other  mind  can 
^^th^jT-^"^^^  comprehend  its  intricate  and  stupendous  mysteries.  Much 
hovah  less  Q^n  any  other  being  advise  and  instruct  the  omni- 

(40  :  12-17) 

scient  Creator  of  all.     Compared  with  his  omnipotence, 
the  might  of  these  great  nations  which  you  fear  is  as  a 
drop  in  the  limitless  sea,  and  the  lands  which  they  inhabit 
are  but  atoms  in  his  great  universe.     All  of  the  wood  and 
beasts  of  Mount  Lebanon  would  not  suffice  to  make  for 
him  an  appropriate  burnt-offering.     In  his  eyes  the  na- 
tions, instead  of  being  objects  of  fear,  are  only  so  many 
particles  in  the  world  of  matter. 
The  folly  of      Consider  the  superlative  folly  of   trying  to   represent 
him  by         such  a  deity  as  Jehovah  by  means  of  idols,  carved   by 
iSTage^s^        human  hands  out  of  wood  and  covered  with  gold  or  by 
(40 :  18-20)    j-jj^g  wooden  images  which  the  impoverished  owner  sets 

up  with  great  care  lest  they  tumble  over. 
Human  in-        Remember  that  it  was  Jehovah  who  created  the  earth. 

signincance  "^ 

and  divine  Its  woudcrs  all  rcvcal  his  transcendent  power.  He  it  is 
(4J7^°-26)"  who  spanned  the  earth  with  its  blue  canopy.  From  his 
heavenly  throne  on  high  he  rules  the  world.  The  power- 
ful earthly  potentates,  before  whom  you  tremble,  and 
these  great  empires,  which  seem  eternal,  are  in  his  sight 
as  chaff  borne  hither  and  thither  on  the  breast  of  the  tem- 
pest. Cease  to  gaze  upon  these  works  of  frail  man  and 
look  up  with  the  eye  of  faith  to  the  Incomparable  One  who 
created  and  rules  the  universe  with  omnipotent  might. 
162 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  41  :  7 

Say  not,  O  disconsolate  group  of  exiles,  that  Jehovah  pays  Jehovah's 
no  heed  to  your  misfortunes.     In  your  time  of  distress  do  carT'}or"^ 
not  foreet  that  he  is  all-knowing,  all-powerful,  and  that  *'^"^'-  '^'^^ 
he  is  subject  to  no  human  limitations.     Instead  of  forsak-  trust  him 
ing,  he  gives  strength  and  help  to  those  who,  like  your-  '*° '  ^^^^ 
selves,  are  weak  and  defenceless.     Young  men  and  brave 
warriors  lose  their  vigor,  but  those  who  trust  in  Jehovah 
shall  grow  stronger  and  stronger. 

3.  Jehovah's  Irresistible  Purpose  to  be  Realized  through 
Cyrus   (41  :  1-7,  21-29) 

Let  the  distant  nations,  which  are  now  trembling  before  Jehovah 
the  advance  of  the  invincible  conqueror  Cyrus,  stand  in  awe  sen"  Cyms 
before  Jehovah's  tribunal.     He  it  was  who  sent  this  ob-"P°"^K 

•'  career  of 

scure  prince  upon  his  triumphal  course  and  has  given  him  conquest 
his  victories.     The  same  omnipotent  God  has  made  the  ^^  *  ^ '' 
peoples  helpless  before  him,  so  that  his  advance  is  unob- 
structed.    Jehovah,  the  ever-existent,  the  source  of  all,  has 
brought  these  things  to  pass  in  order  that  his  divine  pur- 
pose may  be  realized  in  human  history. 

In  their  terror  the  distant  nations  encourage  each  other  The  foolish 
to  be  brave  in  face  of  the  great  danger.     Blindly  they  of  "he  Sh- 
turn   to  their   false    gods.      Thev    think    to  save    them- ?" '," '^^''' 

"  '  idols 

selves  by  putting  their  idols  in  good  repair.     They  hope  (41  =  5-7) 
to  be  delivered  by  inanimate  images,  which  will  fall  over 
unless  securely  fastened. 

Let  the   representatives  of  heathenism  vindicate  their 
163 


Isaiah  41  :  21  Messages  of  the 

Jehovah  claims.  With  the  aid  of  their  idols,  let  their  prophets  and 
fheTutuJT^  soothsayers  foretell  the  future.  Or  let  them  do  at  once 
(41 :  21-29)  some  marvellous  deed  to  illustrate  their  supernatural 
power.  They  will  do  no  such  thing,  for  they  and  their 
claims  are  vanity.  Jehovah  alone  has  proved  that  he  is 
God.  He  it  is  who  has  summoned  Cyrus,  his  worship- 
per, from  the  east  to  destroy  and  overthrow  these  heathen 
peoples.  While  the  oracles  of  the  pagan  world  were 
silent,  he  announced  from  the  first  the  coming  of  this  con- 
quering prince.  To  his  people  he  gave  the  promise  of  de- 
liverance. In  the  presence  of  the  sweeping  victories  of 
Cyrus,  the  Gentile  world  is  dumb  with  amazement.  The 
utter  uselessness  of  their  idols  is  obvious.  By  the  clear 
testimony  of  history  Jehovah  is  shown  to  be  the  supreme 
Lord  of  the  universe. 

4.  A  Personal  Message  of  Encourageinent  to  fehovah's 
Servajit  Israel  (41  :  8-20) 

Jehovah  Do  you,  O  cxilcs,  the  true  representatives  of  my  people 

deiiveThis     Israel,  sharc  the  alarm  of  your  present  masters.^    Jehovah 

opl^rSed      declares  :    "  I   have  chosen  your   race    from  the  earliest 

servants       days  of  your  national  history,  and  ever  stood  in  the  closest 

and  most  intimate  relations  to  you,  leading  you  forth  from 

the  distant  parts  of  the  earth,  that  you  might  perform  for 

me   a   unique    and    important  service.     Notwithstanding 

your  sins  as  a  nation,  I  have  not  annulled  that  peculiar 

relationship.     You  are  still  my  servants  ;  therefore  be  not 

164 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  41  :  20 

terrified  in  the  presence  of  the  great  world-powers  ;  for  I 
will  ever  protect  you  with  my  omnipotence.  The  nations 
which  attack  you  will  do  so  at  the  cost  of  their  life.  So 
completely  will  they  be  destroyed  that  you  will  look  for 
them  in  vain.  Weak  though  you  are  and  ground  down 
under  the  heels  of  your  conquerors,  fear  not,  O  people, 
for  like  a  loving  earthly  father  I  will  uphold  and  deliver 
you, 

"In  my  hands  you  shall  become  an  effective  instru-  ^^^y^^^^'], 
ment  of  vengeance.     You  will  smite  your  powerful  op-  cute  judg- 
pressors  and  crush  them  ;  and  I,  Jehovah,  by  my  natural  S foes" 
forces,  will  complete  the   work   of  destruction.     By   my  (41  =  15,  16) 
righteous,  irresistible  might  you  will  accomplish  this,  and 
in  me  will  you  glory. 

"  Although  you  now  lack  all  of  those  material  comforts  The  gi 

*>      •'  f       11    o"s  futi 

which  give  pleasure  to  life,  1,  who  am  the  source  of  all, 
will  respond  to  your  cry  for  deliverance,  and  will  noting  exiles 
leave  you  to  perish.  In  rich  measure  everything  will  be  (4^  =  »7-^o) 
supplied  which  can  contribute  to  your  happiness.  The 
barren  places  through  which  you  must  pass  and  where 
you  must  live,  shall  be  transformed  into  veritable  Edens, 
When  men  behold  the  great  transformation  they  will 
know  at  once  that  your  God,  the  one  supreme  and  alto- 
gether righteous  Being,  has  effected  it." 


•65 


on- 
ure 
in  sture  for 
the  sutler- 


Isaiah  42  : 


Messages  of  tJu 


The  char- 
acter and 
methods  of 
the  servant 
whom  Jeho- 
vah desires 
to  perform 
his  service 
(42  :  1-4) 


Jehovah's 
commission 
to  the  Jew- 
ish race 
(42  :  5-9) 


5.    The    Contrast    between    the    Ideal    Servant    whom 
Jehovah  Seeks  and  the  Actual  Israel  (42) 

"  The  only  question,  O  exiles,  is  whether  you  will  prove 
the  kind  of  instrument  which  I  can  use  in  carrying  out 
my  purpose  in  the  world.  Consider  carefully  the  type  of 
servant  whom  I  would  uphold  and  who  would  realize  the 
desire  of  my  heart  and  to  whom  I  would  so  impart  my 
own  divine  purpose  and  spirit  that  he  would  effectively 
declare  by  word  and  life  my  will  to  all  mankind.  Not  by 
violence  nor  by  loud  public  proclamation  will  he  accom- 
plish his  mission.  To  the  weak — physically,  mentally, 
and  morally — he  will  prove,  not  a  destroyer,  but  a  saviour. 
In  all  faithfulness  he  will  make  known  my  gracious  com- 
mands. He  will  not  lose  heart  nor  relax  his  efforts  until 
all  mankind  know  and  do  my  will.  For  his  message  of 
truth  and  light  the  heathen  world  now  in  error  and  dark- 
ness is  waiting." 

Listen,  O  chosen  race,  to  the  declaration  of  your  God 
who  created  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants  and  who  im- 
parted the  breath  of  life  alike  to  all  mankind,  and  who 
therefore  is  the  divine  Father  of  all  :  "  In  accordance  with 
my  righteous  purpose  expressed  in  my  covenant,  I  called 
you  to  my  service ;  I  cared  for  you  in  your  earliest  days  ; 
I  formed  you  into  a  nation.  All  this  preparation  was  that 
you  might  be  the  mediator  of  a  solemn  covenant  between 
me  and  the  entire  human  family,  to  impart  the  knowledge 
166 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  42  :  17 

of  me  to  the  heathen  peoples  who  now  are  in  the  dark- 
ness of  ignorance,  and  thus  to  give  full  life  and  liberty  to 
those  now  living  in  physical  and  spiritual  bondage.  I  am 
the  supreme  God  of  the  universe,  and  I  will  not  tolerate 
the  paying  of  divine  honors  to  idols  of  wood  and  metal. 
Already  those  things  which  I  proclaimed  through  my 
prophets  have  become  realities.  Now  I  announce  a  new 
and  fuller  revelation  of  my  purpose.  Before  the  events 
transpire,  I  tell  them  to  you,  my  chosen  servants." 

In  view  of  his  new  revelation,  let  all  the  world  join  in  a  lyrical  ode 
praising  Jehovah.     Let  the  inanimate  voices  of   nature  jlhJJah  *° 
unite  with  the  inhabitants  of  the  distant  Gentile  lands  in  a  ^"^^  •  '"^'3) 
song  of  thanksgiving.     Let  the  dwellers  in  desert  and  on 
mountain  raise  their  joyful  acclamations  ;  for  Jehovah,  like 
an  invincible  warrior,  is  at  last  going  forth  to  reveal  his 
true  character  as  the  avenger  of  wrong,  and  as  the  cham- 
pion of  the  right. 

"Long  have  I  kept   silent    in  the  presence  of   evil,"  The  coming 
proclaims  Jehovah,   "but   I   will  withhold  my  judgment  of  ilrad'^^ 
no  longer.     I  will  reveal  my  real  purpose.     The  proud.  me'Jit  u^^n 
dominant  world-powers  will  I  overthrow,  and  those  who  idolaters 

(42  :  14-17) 

are  groping  m  darkness,  with  no  one  to  lead  them,  I 
will  conduct  back  to  their  land  by  means  which  they 
know  not.  I  will  change  their  present  distress  and  doubt 
to  joy  and  prosperity,  and  all  obstacles  shall  be  removed 
from  their  way.  These  promises  will  I  surely  fulfil ;  but 
terrible  shall  be  the  fate  of  those  who  worship  images, 
167 


Isaiah  42  :  i8  Messages  of  the 

trusting  that  these  will  deliver  them  in  the  hour  of  afflic- 
tion and  judgment." 
The  actual        Give  heed,  O  careless  exiles,  to    the    ideal  of   service 

servant  Is-  ,  .    ,     ,    ,  1111  1      r  1  1  • 

raei  which  Jehovah  holds  up  before  you,  and  to  his  purpose 

(42 :  18-25)  ^yhich  he  desires  to  realize  through  you.  Alas  !  instead 
of  being  responsive,  you  are  slow  to  comprehend,  and  fail 
to  grasp  the  message  which  he  wishes  to  give  to  the  world 
through  you.  Through  the  events  of  history  and  the 
mouths  of  his  prophets  he  has  revealed  many  precious 
truths  to  you,  and  yet  you  have  not  appreciated  nor  ap- 
propriated them.  If  you  had  only  proved  receptive,  he 
would  have  imparted  to  you  still  greater  and  more  glori- 
ous teachings.  As  it  is,  this  people,  alas  !  oppressed  by 
their  conquerors,  the  prey  of  their  foes,  with  no  champion 
to  deliver,  have  lost  all  spirit  and  energy.  The  ultimate 
cause  of  their  moral  obtuseness  is  to  be  found  in  the  ear- 
lier waywardness  of  their  race.  Will  some  of  you  more 
thoughtful  ones  give  heed  to  this  great  truth  and  hand  it 
on  to  coming  generations }  Because  of  the  crimes  of 
your  nation,  Jehovah  delivered  it  over  to  its  hostile  foes  to 
be  punished  and  disciplined.  Hardened  by  sin,  this  peo- 
ple have  not  recognized  the  true  cause  and  source  of  all 
their  afflictions,  and  consequently  have  failed  to  learn  the 
great  lessons  which  they  were  intended  to  teach,  and 
which  must  be  learned  before  they  can  fully  realize  the 
ideal  of  the  faithful  servant  of  Jehovah. 

168 


Lattr  Prophets  Isaiah  43  :  1 1 

6.    The  Preparation  and  Mission  of  the  True  Israel 
(43  :  I  to  44  :  5) 

Jehovah,  who  created  and  led  you,  O  chosen  race,  says  Israel  will 
to  you  :    "  Have  no  fear,  for  I  will  vindicate  you.     You  are  ransomed, 
my  peculiar  people.      When  calamities  come  to  you,  Ibyjehovlh 
will  be  at  hand  to  deliver  you,  for  I  am  your  God.      If  (43: 1-7) 
necessary  to  ransom  you  from  the  hands  of  your  masters, 
I  will  give  the  richest  lands,  like  Egypt  and  Sheba,  in  ex- 
change for  you,  for   I  love  and  prize  you  dearly.     From 
every  quarter  of  the  earth  1  will  command  the  nations 
among  which  you  have  been  scattered  to  bring  back  my 
sons  and  daughters.     Thus  shall  all  the  members  of  that 
race  which  I  have  called  to  serve  and  honor  me  be  restored 
to  the  land  of  their  fathers." 

Can  you  not,  O  blind  people,  understand  that  Jehovah  Israel  is 
unceasingly  cares  for  you  in  order  that  you  may  perform  witness  to 
for  him  a  great  service  }     Can  you  not  appreciate  his  char-  ^orkT^'^^" 
acter  and  purpose,  as  revealed  in  history  and  through  his  (43  =  8-13) 
prophets.^     All  of  the  heathen  oracles  in  the  world  can- 
not prove  the  divinity  of  their  gods  nor  produce  evidence 
to  substantiate  the  claims  of  their  devotees.     Jehovah  is 
the  only  true  God,  and  you  are  his  witnesses  before  man- 
kind.    He  has  chosen  you  to  serve  him  by  believing  and 
by  recognizing  in    him   the    one   supreme  and  universal 
Lord.      He  establishes  his  claim   to  absolute  supremacy 
by  incontestable  evidence.     He  alone  possesses  the  divine 
169 


Isaiah  43  :  12  Messages  of  the 

power  to  deliver  his  worshippers.     He  alone  reveals  the 
events  of  the   future  before  they  transpire.     Your  high 
duty  and  privilege  it  is  to  make  known  to  the  world  his 
character  and  demands.     You  are  safe,  for  no  one  can 
take  you  away  from  him.     His  divine  purpose  and  acts 
no  power  on  earth  or  in  heaven  can  annul. 
The  over-         For  your  sakcs  Jehovah  announces  that  he  will  soon 
Babybn  and  bring  low  proud  Babylon.     He  who  cared  for  and  led  his 
exodus°"'^    people  in  the  past,  who  destroyed  completely  the  military 
(43 :  14-21)    strength  of  your  oppressors  the  Egyptians,  will  perform 
for  you  an  even  more  remarkable  act  of  deliverance.     Can 
you  not  already  behold  the  signs  of  its  early  accomplish- 
ment?    He  will   speedily  turn  the  desert  into  a  fruitful, 
well-watered  land,  that    his    chosen    people  may   return 
through  it  with  songs  of  thanksgiving  on  their  lips. 
Israel's  poor      Notwithstanding  all  of  the  blessings  and  promises  which 
pS7or"all^  Jehovah  has  given  so  freely  to  you  his  people,  you  have 
of  Jehovah's  ^^^  tumcd  to  him  in  gratitude,  showing  by  your  generous 
(43  :  22-28)    offerings  that  you  recognized  in  him  the  great  source  of 
all.     He  did  not  demand  of  you  so  many  offerings  that  to 
have  given  them  would    have  been  a  burdensome  task  ; 
and  yet  you  set  aside  nothing  for  him  out  of  the  abundance 
which  he  gave  you.     The  only  things  which  you  brought 
to  him  were  your  sins  of  ingratitude  and  apostasy.     But 
he  is  a  forgiving  God  and  will  not  remember  those  crimes 
of  the  past.     Review  that  past,  if  perchance  you  may  find 
some  justification  of  your  conduct.     From  the  first  your 
170 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  44  :  8 

ancestors  sinned  against  him,  your  priests  and  prophets 
were  disloyal  to  him,  and  your  rulers  introduced  heathen 
cults  into  his  sacred  temple,  so  that  he  was  compelled  to 
give  his  people  up  to  judgment  and  to  make  them  an 
object  of  scorn  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. 

Black  as  is  your  past  record,  O  race  with  an  exalted  Jehovah  will 
ideal  and  destiny,  Jehovah,  who  chose  you  to  be  his  people  namTand  '^ 
and  trained  you,  will  not  abandon  you.     He  still  calls  you  pgopie^h^on- 
to  service.     Therefore  fear  not  your  foes,  nor  doubt  your  orable  in  the 

^  ■'  eyes  of  man- 

own   ability  to  witness  for  him,  for  he  will  revive  you  kind 
physically  and  spiritually.     Your  descendants  at  least  will  ^^' 
enjoy  his  blessings  in  such  rich  measure  that  the  heathen 
world  will  be  eager  to  associate  themselves  with  you  and 
to  be  known  as  the  people  of  Jehovah. 


7.  Jehovah's  Incomparable  Superiority   to  the  Gods  of 
the  Heathen  {44  :  6-23) 

Jehovah,  Israel's  King  and  Deliverer,  proclaims:  "  Be- The  declara- 

,  .       ,      ,  T        •         1  1       1     11  •  •      tion  of  mono- 

fore  creation  s  dawn  I  existed,  and  shall  continue  to  exist  theism 

through  all  eternity,  and  there  is  no  other  God  beside  me.  ^"^"^ "  '  ^ 
If  there  is  any  other  being  in  the  universe  comparable  to 
me,  let  him  prove  his  superiority,  as  I  have  done,  by  an- 
nouncing the  events  of  the  future  through  the  mouths  of 
his  prophets.  Be  not  alarmed  by  the  claims  advanced  for 
these  heathen  deities.  I  long  ago  revealed  to  you,  my 
people,  your  destiny.  Since  you  are  my  representatives 
171 


Isaiah  44  :  9  Messages  of  the 

before  the  world,  be  assured  that  the  one  supreme  Lord 
of  all  will  watch  over  and  protect  you." 
The  inanity       The  heathen  idols  have  no  worthy  representatives,  for 
ship  °  ^       their  devotees  are  deluded  by  foolish  superstitions.     When 
(44 :  9-20)     j(.  comes  to  a  real  test  they  are  filled  with  confusion.     Con- 
sider how  these  gods,  which  men  regard  as  so  sacred,  are 
made.     A  smith  heats  the  metal  over  the  coals  and  then 
with  a  strong  arm  hammers  it  into  the  form  of  an  image. 
This  maker  of  gods  suffers   from  hunger  and  thirst  like 
all  finite   beings.     Or,  if  the  idol  be  made  of  wood,  the 
carpenter  by  the  use  of  line  and  rule  carves  out  an  object 
of  human  form,  first  selecting  suitable  material  from  the 
trees  of  the  forest,  which  are  dependent,  like  the  image- 
maker,  upon  Jehovah's  bounty  for  their  life.     Out  of  the 
same  log  from  which  he  hews  a  god  he  secures  fuel  with 
which  to  cook  his  bread.     Before  an  inanimate  idol  thus 
manufactured  he  prostrates  himself  in  worship  and  prays 
for  help  in  the  time  of  need  !     Such  folly  reveals  a  mind 
hopelessly   deluded,    totally    incapable   of    distinguishing 
between  truth  and  falsehood. 
Jehovah's         Remember,  O  Jewish  race,  that  you  are  the  witnesses  of 
latio'lTto  his  the  living  God,  and  that  for  that  service  you  have  been  pre- 
^'"'^20-23)    pared.     For  that  reason  Jehovah  has  forgiven  your  gross 
sins  against  him,  and  now  is  about  to  deliver  you  from 
the  hands  of  your  foes.     Let  heaven  and  earth  rejoice 
over  the  salvation  of  his  people  Israel  which  is  at  hand. 

172 


»,44 


Later  PropJicts  Isaiah  45  :  5 

8.    The  Real  Purpose  and  Sisi;nificance  of  the  Conquests 
of  Cyrus  (44  :  241045  :  25) 

To  you,  the  chosen  people,  your  divine  Creator  and  Re- Jehovah  the 

1  ,    .  w  .^1  ^-  •  •  IT  creator  and 

deemer  proclaims  :  The  entire  universe  is  my  work.  I  supreme 
am  he  who  makes  evident  the  falsity  of  the  pretensions  ^^^^''^^.^s) 
of  those  who  worship  heathen  gods.  I  am  he  who  con- 
firms the  predictions  of  my  true  prophets  by  the  events  of 
history.  In  conformity  with  my  promises  through  them, 
I  will  again  cause  Jerusalem  and  the  desolate  cities  of 
Judah  to  be  rebuilt  and  repopulated  and  my  temple  to  be 
restored.  All  obstacles  will  I  remove.  Cyrus,  whose 
career  you  are  watching  with  deepest  interest,  is  my  agent, 
who  will  prepare  the  way  for  the  accomplishment  of  my 
gracious  purposes." 

To  Cyrus,  his  anointed,  whom  he  has  called  and  com-  Cyms  called 
missioned  to  serve  him,  Jehovah  declares  :  "  I  will  subdue  JeSgntz?^^ 
kings  and  kingdoms  before  vou.     The  strone  defences  of  J^^"^^*^  ^^ 

'^  "^  '  *  supreme 

the  nations  will  I  break  down.    Vast  and  hidden  treasures  (45  :  1-3) 
will  I  cause  to  fall  into  your  hands,  all  in  order  that  you 
may  know  and  acknowledge  me  as  the  one  true  God. 

"Also  that  you  may  deliver  my  chosen  people  Israel,  That  he 
that  they  may  be  at  liberty  to  serve  me  as  I  desire,  I  have  ilrLi^*^^'^ 
without  your  knowledge  prepared  you  to  be  my  Messiah.  ^"^^ "  "^^ 

"  I,  who  am  the  one  true  Lord  of  all,  will  commission 
you  to  make  known  to  mankind  my  real  character  and 
demands.     In  nature  and  in  human  affairs  I  am  the  sole 
173 


Isaiah  45  :  6 


Messages  of  tlu 


That  the 
whole  world 
may  ac- 
knowledge 
Jehovah 
(45  :  5-8) 


In  his  own 
good  way 
Jehovah  wil' 
deliver  his 
people 
(45  :  9-13) 


The  south- 
ern nations 
shall  ac- 
knowledge 
Jehovah's 
sovereignty 
(45  :  14-17) 


Jehovah's 
salvation  for 
all  mankind 
(45 :  18-25) 


Creator  and  absolute  Sovereign  from  whom  all  authority- 
emanates.  There  is  not  (as  the  teachers  of  your  race  con- 
tend) an  antagonistic  spirit  of  evil  who  is  gifted  with 
divine  power ;  but  I  alone  am  the  source  both  of  light 
and  darkness,  of  good  and  evil.  Let  heaven  and  earth 
join  with  their  Creator  in  the  redemption  of  Israel  and  the 
salvation  of  humanity. 

"  Do  some  of  you  find  fault  with  the  means  whereby 
I  am  going  to  deliver  you  ?  Does  the  clay  criticise  the 
work  of  the  potter  who  moulds  it  ?  Equally  presump- 
tuous is  it  for  you,  whom  I  created,  to  dictate  to  me  how  I 
shall  act.  I  who  made  the  heavens,  the  earth,  and  all 
mankind  upon  it,  have  raised  up  that  foreign  conqueror, 
Cyrus,  in  accordance  with  my  righteous  purpose,  to  re- 
build Jerusalem  and  to  liberate  you,  my  exiled  people. 
Voluntarily,  without  ransom  shall  he  do  this." 

In  the  future  days  the  tall  men  of  the  south,  from 
Egypt  and  Sheba,  shall  come  to  you  as  suppliants  to  con- 
fess that  your  God,  Jehovah,  is  the  only  true  God  who  is 
able  to  deliver  his  people.  Then  all  who  put  their  trust 
in  idols  will  be  filled  with  shame  and  dismay.  You  alone 
will  be  saved  from  calamity  and  enjoy  unending  peace 
and  prosperity. 

Jehovah,  who  created  the  earth  for  the  habitation  of 

man,  claims  undivided  homage.     Openly  has  he  declared 

his  promises  to  his  people.      He  has  inspired    no   vain 

hopes.     Whatever  he  has  said  shall  surely  come  to  pass. 

174 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  46  :  2 

Only  through  ignorance  and  folly  can  men  put  their  trust 
in  deities  of  wood  and  stone  which  they  can  carry  around 
on  their  shoulders  (as  do  the  Babylonians) — in  idols 
which  have  no  power  to  realize  what  their  representatives 
promise  in  their  name.  Jehovah,  he  alone  is  God,  he 
alone  can  deliver.  Therefore  let  all  the  nations,  even  the 
most  distant,  in  this  time  of  their  distress,  accept  his 
gracious  invitation  and  turn  to  him  and  be  delivered  by 
his  omnipotent  might.  He  solemnly  proclaims  that  the 
time  shall  yet  come  when  every  human  being  will  ac- 
knowledge him  as  Lord  supreme.  Then  shall  not  only 
the  Jewish  race  but  all  mankind  recognize  that  he  is  the 
one  source  of  strength.  Those  who  are  hostile  to  him 
shall  be  filled  with  shame,  while  his  people,  who  faithfully 
serve  him,  shall  be  vindicated  and  glorified. 

9.    The   Contrast  between   the  Deities   of  Babylon  a7id 
Jehovah  of  Israel  (46) 

Already  the  chief  gods  of   Babylon   are  bowing  down  The  impo- 
before  the  conqueror.      Their  images,  which   their   de-  Babylonians 
votees  have  been  wont  to  carry  about  in  solemn  proces-  ?°^^^  ^^  . 
sion,  will  soon  be  carried  off  as  spoil  on  the  backs  of  weary 
beasts.     They  will  be  only  a  burden  to  be  borne  away 
into  the  captivity  from  which  they  are  powerless  to  de- 
liver their  worshippers. 

You,  O  Israelites,  have  been  borne  by  Jehovah,  your 

175 


Isaiah  46  :  5  Messages  of  the 

Jehovah's  God,  from  vour  earliest  days  as  a  nation,  although  you 
?^e'forhis  have  proved  a  heavy  burden.  He  who  changes  not  de- 
usfvs)      clares  that  he  will  never  cease  to  uphold  and  protect  you. 

What  other  deity  in  all  the  universe  is  like  him  ? 
The  impo-         Consider  the  origin  and  nature  of  all  other  gods.     They 

tenceof  all  ^  j     u  ,.      ,  i-  r      , 

heathen  del-  are  manufactured  through  the  expenditures  of  the  rnoney 
(i?:  6, 7)      and  energy  of  their  worshippers.     They  are  dead  things, 
dependent  upon  their  devotees  for  care  and  transporta- 
tion,   and  entirely  incapable  of  answering  the  petitions 
which  are  directed  to  them. 
Jehovah  a        Forget  uot  the  real  nature  of  your  God  and  that  cf  the 

living  God,  ,         ,  _  _  _  , 

active  in  hu-  uo-gods  of  your  conqucrors,  O  apostate  Jews.  Remember 
C46":8-iT/^  what  he  has  done  for  your  nation  in  the  past.  He  .jlone 
of  all  the  gods  has  shown  through  the  predictions  of  his 
prophets  that  he  knew  and  ordered  the  events  of  the  fui  ure. 
He  has  selected  Cyrus  to  carry  out  his  divine  purpose. 
The  deliverance  which  he  promises  will  surely  come. 
Consider  and  be  encouraged,  you  who  have  lost  faith  in 
Jehovah's  justice  and  ability  to  deliver.  The  hour  when 
he  will  lead  you  forth  and  vindicate  his  true  character  by 
restoring  you  to  your  native  land  is  near  at  hand. 

10.  A  Taunt  Song  Commemorating  the  Impending  Fall 
of  Babylon  (47) 

The  captiv-  At  last  your  turn  has  come,  proud  Babylon,  to  taste  the 
lon°  ^  ^  horrors  of  captivity  which  you  have  in  the  past  ruthlessly 
(47 :  1-4)       inflicted  upon  so  many  helpless  thousands.     Leave  your 

176 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  47  :  1 5 

luxuries  behind,  cast  aside  your  royal  garments,  like  a 
common  slave,  half-clad,  sit  in  the  dust  and  perform 
menial  labor  ;  for  Jehovah,  Israel's  deliverer,  is  about  to 
execute  vengeance  upon  you. 

Nevermore  will  you  recover  your  lost  authority.     For-  Punished 
evermore  your  lot  shall  be  that  of  a   captive,  for  when  its  cruelty 
Jehovah  delivered   his  people  to  you  for  a  time,  since  he  captives 
wished  to  discipline  them,  you  betrayed    the   trust  and  (^7  ■•  5-7) 
cruelly  enslaved  them,  showing  no  mercy  to  the  aged  and 
helpless.     In  your  overweening  pride  you  shut  your  eyes 
to  the  possibility  of  judgment,  and   regarded  neither  the 
principles  of  justice  nor  your  own  future. 

Your  pride  and  false  confidence  in  your  own  resources  Because  of 
shall  bring  ruin  upon  you.     Your  citizens  and  defenders  I'rust^ in" 
shall  be  torn  from  you.     All  your  magical   incantations  {"^f  8-15) 
will  not   deliver.      Trust  in   these   has    misled   you,   so 
that  you  think  that  your  acts  will  escape  the  eye  of  the 
supreme  Lord  of  all.     You  even  claim  divinity  for  your- 
self.    Useless  will  be  your  formulas  and  spells  to  avert 
the   sudden  and  overwhelming   ruin  which    shall   come. 
The  conflicting  prognostications  of  your  astrologers  only 
confuse  you,  and  reveal  nothing  respecting  your  future. 
Your  worthless  religious  guides,  to  whom  you  have  always 
devoted  so  much  attention,  will  think  only  of  themselves  in 
the  hour  of  calamity,  and  you  will  be  left  without  helper 
or  deliverer. 


177 


Isaiah  48 


Messages  of  the 


The  new 
revelation 
about  to  be 
given 
(48  :  1-8) 


Not  de- 
served but 
because 
Jehovah 
wills  it 
(48  :  9-11) 


Cyrus  the 
agent  ot  the 
new  revela- 
tion 
(48  :  12-16) 


II.  A  Recapitulation  of  Preceduig  Arguments,  Culmi- 
7iating  in  an  Exhortatian  to  Flee  from  Babylon  (48) 

O  remnants  of  the  Hebrew  race,  exiles  from  Judah,  fol- 
lowers of  Jehovah  in  name  but  not  in  faithfulness,  heed 
the  message  of  your  God  :  "  The  events  of  the  past  I 
announced  to  you  by  the  mouth  of  my  prophets  before  I 
brought  them  to  pass,  that  you  might  have  no  excuse  for 
unbelief ;  for  I  knew  your  obtuseness  and  pride  and  wil- 
fulness. Long  ago  I  predicted  that  which  is  now  trans- 
piring before  your  eyes,  lest  you  should  say  it  is  the  work, 
not  of  Jehovah,  but  of  the  gods  of  the  heathen.  Now  I 
am  about  to  give  to  you  a  new  and  broader  glimpse  of 
my  divine  purpose  which  is  being  unfolded  in  human 
history. 

"  Because  of  my  infinite  mercy,  and  because  I  desire  to 
realize  that  purpose,  not  because  of  your  merit,  have  I 
spared  and  preserved  you.  For  my  own  sake  will  I  bring 
about  this  great  deliverance  so  that  through  you,  and  not 
through  another  race,  will  my  true  character  be  revealed  to 
the  world. 

"  Listen  with  the  ear  of  faith  to  me,  the  Creator  and 
Ruler  of  all.  None  of  the  heathen  deities  announced  to 
their  devotees  that  the  whole  world  was  to  be  turned  up- 
side down  by  the  advent  of  this  unknown  prince,  Cyrus. 
I  am  the  one  who  raised  him  up  to  lay  low  this  proud  city 
of  Babylon.  I  have  called  him,  given  him  his  victories. 
i:S 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  48  ;  19 

From  the  first  I  have  made  known  that  the  ultimate  end 
of  his  work  was  the  liberation  of  you,  my  people.  Do 
you  still  doubt  that  I  will  carry  it  to  completion  ? 

"  Remember  that  I  stand  in  the  closest  and  most  inti-  If  the  nation 
mate  relations  to  you  and  am  ever  looking  out  for  your  J^arn  to  obey 
best  interests.  By  each  new  experience  which  comes  to  J^g^^'^^^j  x 
you,  I  am  leading  you  on.  Can  you  not  learn  the  plain 
lesson  and  obediently  do  my  will }  By  so  doing  the 
peace  and  prosperity  for  which  you  are  longing  would  be 
secured  in  richest  measure.  Then  would  the  disasters  of 
the  present  be  no  more."  Believe  Jehovah's  clear  state- 
ment and  read  the  signs  of  the  times  ;  prepare  to  leave 
this  doomed  city.  Instead  of  grovelling  in  the  dust,  arise 
and  triumphantly  spread  abroad  the  good  news  of  the  de- 
liverance at  hand.  Recognize  the  glorious  fact  that  Jeho- 
vah at  last  has  redeemed  his  people.  Supplying  their 
every  need,  he  will  lead  them  back  through  the  hot  deserts 
which  lie  between  them  and  their  native  land.  Peace 
awaits  the  faithful,  but  the  rebellious  shall  seek  it  in  vain. 


179 


Isaiah  49  :  i  Messages  of  the 


IV 

THE    REDEMPTION     OF     ISRAEL     AND     OF     MANKIND 

TO    BE    SECURED    THROUGH    SELF-SACRIFICING 

SERVICE    (49  to  55) 

I.    The  Preparation  and  Mission  of  the  True  Servant 
of  fehovah  (49  :  1-13) 

Call  and  Let  all  the  world,  even  the  most  distant  peoples,  hear 

(IJ^^fT^/""   the  declaration  of  Jehovah's  true  servant  respecting  his 
call  and  mission  :  "  From  the  earliest  days  of  my  exist- 
ence the  Lord  appointed  and  equipped  me  for  the  per- 
formance of  his  service.     He  has  given  me  an   authori- 
tative message  and  ability  to  deliver  it  forcibly.  Although 
confronted  by  bitter  opposition,  I  have  ever  been  securely 
protected  by  Jehovah.     He  has  found  me  useful  in  his 
service.     He  has  commissioned  me  the  true  Israel  to  be 
his  official  representative  before  the  world.     Although  I 
feel  at  times  that  all  my  efforts   have  been  in  vain,  I  am 
assured  that  Jehovah  will    surely  vindicate  and  reward 
them. 
The  broader      "  He  who  created  and  trained  me  that  I  might  by  my 
th'^seJlant   loyalty  and  devotion  restore  and  reclaim  my  people  as  a 
(49:  5,  6)      ^hole,  and  who  has  honored  and  upheld  me,  further  de- 
clares that  my  mission  will  not  be  limited  to  the  Jewish 
race,  but  that  it  will  also  be  my  high  duty  and  privilege 
,180 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  49  :  15 

to  proclaim  his  life-giving  truth  and  salvation  to  the  entire 
heathen  world." 

Jehovah,  Israel's  God  and  Deliverer,  also  assures  his  The  future 
faithful  servant,  now  ground  down  by  forced  servitude  to  the  true 
foreign  kings  and  despised  and  loathed  by  all  peoples,  X^Tt) 
that  the  time  is  surely  coming  when  he  will  be  so  exalted 
that  the  rulers  of  the  earth  will  come  to  pay  to  him  rev- 
erential homage;  for  the  omnipotent  God  who  has  called 
him  to  his  service  will  not  fail  to  reward. 

In  his  own  good  time  Jehovah  promises  to  deliver  his  The  ser- 

1   .         .  ,  ,     ,  .  .        ,      vant's  part 

servant  and  mstitute  through  his  agency  a  new  era  m  the  in  the  res- 
history  of  his  chosen  people.  He  shall  revive  the  pros-  J^of g^^a) 
perity  of  the  land  of  Palestine  and  restore  the  captive 
exiles  to  their  homes.  They  shall  be  relieved  of  all  of  the 
hardships  incidental  to  the  return  by  their  loving  God. 
From  all  quarters  shall  the  scattered  remnants  of  their  race 
come  streaming  back.  In  view  of  the  great  deliverance 
which  Jehovah  is  about  to  bring  to  his  afflicted  people, 
let  all  the  universe  join  in  a  hymn  of  praise. 

2.  JehovaJis  Assiira7ices  that  he  luill  Surely  Restore  his 
People  (49  :  14  to  50  :  3) 

Do  some  of  you  sad  exiles  fear  that  Jehovah  has  aban-  Jehovah's 
doned  you  to  your  hard  fate  }     A  human  mother's  affec-  find  giorLu'I 
tion  for  her  child,  strong  as  it  naturally  is,  may  grow  ^g^'^i^!!)"") 
cold  ;  but  the  divine  love  of  Jehovah  for  you  will  never 
wane.     You  are  indelibly  impressed  upon  his  memory,  so 


Isaiah  49  :  i6  Messages  of  the 

that  he  cannot  forget  you  for  a  moment.  He  is  ever  plan- 
ning to  restore  your  ruined  city  and  nation.  The  hostile 
foes  who  have  laid  them  waste  shall  depart,  and  in  their 
stead  shall  come  hastening  back  the  exiles  and  fugitives 
of  your  race.  They  will  revive  the  ancient  glories  of 
your  nation.  Soon  the  cities  and  lands  now  desolate  and 
uninhabited  shall  be  so  densely  crowded  that  there  will 
not  be  room  for  all.  Joyful  wonderment  shall  fill  your 
hearts  at  the  sight  of  the  sudden  and  marvellous  revival. 
The  way  in  j^q  you  question  how  this  glorious  restoration  is  to  be 
restoration  accomplished  ?  Jchovah  declares  that  he  will  signal  to  the 
complished  heathen  nations  who  now  hold  in  captivity  the  scattered 
(49:  22-26)  j^ej-j^bgi-s  of  your  race  and  they  shall  carefully  bring  them 
back  to  Judah,  eagerly  supplying  with  reverence  their 
every  need.  Then  shall  those  who  now  faithfully  serve 
me,  striving  to  realize  the  ideal  of  the  true  servant,  cease  to 
be  objects  of  scorn.  Instead  they  shall  be  treated  as  the 
princes  of  the  earth.  Do  you  question  the  fulfilment  of 
this  prediction  because  the  peoples  who  now  hold  you  are 
seemingly  invincible  ?  One  mightier  than  they,  even  Je- 
hovah, will  wrest  from  them  their  unlawful  prey  and  thus 
rescue  his  people.  By  the  overthrow  of  your  tyrannical 
masters  he  will  demonstrate  to  all  the  world  that  he  is  your 
deliverer  and  redeemer,  able  to  save  from  all  foes. 

Jehovah  has  for  a  time  turned  you  over  to  your  enemies 
to  be  disciplined,  but  he  has  by  no  means  rejected  you 
forever.     Your  calamities,  individual  and  national,  are  self- 
182 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  50  :  9. 

imposed.     Now  that  he  offers  to  you  the  opportunity  to  Jehovah  still 
be  restored,  do  not  lose  it  for  lack  of  faith  and  responsive-  rbie"to  de- 
ness.     Surely  you  cannot  for  a  moment  doubt  Jehovah's  p^^pj^'^ 
ability  to  deliver  you,  or  question  the  power  of  the  God  at  <5o :  1-3) 
whose  command  the  character  of  the  entire  universe  is 
transformed. 

3.   The  Experie7ices  of  the    True  Servant  of  Jehovah 
and  their  Lessoji  (50  :  4-1 1) 

Listen,  O  people  called  to  service,  to  the  united  testi-  The  meth- 
mony  presented  by  the  lives  and  experiences  of  Jehovah's  fidence  of 
true  prophets,  and  catch  the  spirit  of  the  perfect  servant  150:^4!^)^"* 
whom  he  would  approve  :  "  Jehovah,  my  Lord  and  Master, 
has  given  me  the  eloquence  and  facility  as  a  teacher  which 
are  alone  possessed  by  well-trained  pupils,  in  order  that  I 
may  relieve  by  messages  of  comfort  the  distress  of  those  who 
are  needy,  and  therefore  eager  to  listen.  He  daily  and 
constantly  imparts  to  me,  as  a  teacher  to  a  disciple,  a  fuller 
and  clearer  knowledge  of  his  character  and  purpose. 
Eagerly  have  I  striven  to  learn  the  lessons  which  he  has 
taught.  If  the  way  of  instruction  and  duty  leads  through 
persecution  and  contumely,  I  do  not  flinch  nor  turn  back. 
I  will  never  fail,  because  Jehovah  will  uphold  and  give  me 
strength.  Confident  of  his  help,  I  calmly  face  opposition 
and  assault.  He  who  will  vindicate  me  is  ever  at  hand. 
Foes,  who  assail  me,  when  I  have  such  a  champion  as  he, 
will  only  do  so  to  their  ruin." 

183 


Isaiah  50  :  10 


Messages  of  the 


Learn  from  the  past  and  present  experiences  of  the  true 


The  lesson 

agemen't  and  Servant   of   Jchovah,    O  faithful  ones  among  the  exiles 

warning  to 
be  learned 
from  the 
servant 

(50:  10, 11)    from  the  same  God 


The  lesson 
of  Israel's 
past 
(51 :  1-3) 


The  fulfil- 
ment of  Je- 
hovah's gra 
cious  pur- 
pose certain 
(51 :  4-8) 


the  lesson  of  trust,  so  that,  while  you  grope  in  darkness, 
without  a  prospect  of  deliverance,  you  may  receive  help 
You  also,  who  taunt  the  righteous, 
assailing  the  loyal  servants  of  the  Lord,  take  warning. 
Judgment  will  surely  overtake  you,  for  Jehovah  always 
executes  vengeance  upon  those  who  attack  his  faithful 
followers. 

4.    Words  of  Exhortation  and  Encouragement  in  View 
of  the  Coming  Restoration  (51  :  i  to  52  :  12) 

Consider  and  learn  the  lesson  from  your  nation's  past, 
you  who  are  seeking  to  know  and  do  Jehovah's  will.  Re- 
call how  he  from  a  single  family  of  nomads  reared  up  a 
powerful  people.  He  who  accomplished  these  wonders 
with  such  an  insignificant  beginning,  assures  you  that 
again  from  you,  the  humble  remnants  of  your  race,  he  will 
raise  up  a  mighty  nation,  and  again  make  the  desolate 
land  of  Judah  richly  fruitful,  so  that  joy  and  praise  will  fill 
your  hearts. 

Know  also,  O  chosen  people,  that  Jehovah  purposes  to 
reveal  his  character  and  will  to  all  mankind,  and  that  a 
knowledge  of  his  eternal  principles  will  be  given  the  hea- 
then for  their  enlightenment.  Quickly  and  unexpectedly 
will  the  Lord  appear  to  vindicate  and  deliver  his  people, 
and  to  bring  justice  to  all  nations  far  and  near.  The 
184 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  51  :  18 

visible  heavens  and  earth  shall  dissolve  and  their  in- 
habitants, like  insects,  shall  pass  away;  but  Jehovah's 
tender  care  for  his  people  and  his  just  rule  of  the  universe 
shall  never  cease.  Therefore,  O  exiles,  be  not  terrified 
by  the  threats  and  insults  of  mortal  men,  for  your  afflic- 
tions and  the  foes  who  cause  them  will  soon  cease  to  be  ; 
but  your  vindication  and  deliverance  by  Jehovah  shall  be 
for  all  time. 

Aeain  as  at  the  creation,  when  thou  didst  separate  the  An  appeal 

o  to  Jehovah 

light  from  the  darkness,  and  the  land  from  the  waste  of  to  deliver  at 
waters,  or  as  when  thou  didst  lead  thy  people  forth  from  (sT^g-u) 
Egypt  reveal,  O  Jehovah,  thine  omnipotence.    [Then  will 
thy  people,  freed  from  captivity,  return  with  rejoicing  to 
their  native  land,  and  their  present  sorrow  will  be  no  more.] 

Tehovah  assures  the  doubting  exiles  that  they  have  no  His  assur- 
cause  to  fear  mortal  men,  smce  he,  the  Creator  and  Ruler  speedy  de- 
of  all  things,  animate  and  inanimate,  is  their  protector.  [57[T2*??6) 
He  will  speedily  release  them  from  their  painful  slavery, 
for  he  has  given  them,  as  his   servants,  a  message   for 
humanity.     He  has  protected  and  cared  for  them,  since 
through  them  he  purposes  to  inaugurate  a  new  epoch  in 
human  history  and  to  effect  the  complete  restoration  of 
his  people  to  Palestine. 

Arise,  O  prostrate  nation,  for  your  period  of  punish-  Promised 
ment  and  discipline  is  over.     Pitiable  indeed  is  your  fate,  p^reLm^^es 
since  no  one  of  your  citizens  has  proved  himself  able  and  ^5^  '•  ^7-23) 
wiUing  to  lead  and  comfort  you  in  this  time  of  humiliation 

185 


Isaiah  51  :  19  Messages  of  the 

and  distress.  With  your  land  desolate  and  you  yourself 
the  victim  of  famine  and  the  sword,  who  can  comfort 
you  ?  Your  bravest  and  noblest  citizens  are  unable  to 
relieve  you,  for  they  are  helpless  and  the  objects  of  Jeho- 
vah's vengeance.  But  now,  O  afflicted  and  prostrate  na- 
tion, he  assures  you  that  your  days  of  judgment  are  past. 
From  his  hand  your  oppressors  shall  in  turn  receive  their 
punishment,  because  in  the  time  of  your  weakness  and 
humiliation  they  crushed  you  to  earth  and  showed  no 
mercy, 
ing^of^fhe  Arise  to  new  life  and  power,  O  Jewish  race !  No  longer 

great  wrongs  shall  you  be  the  prey  of  your  heathen  oppressors.  Cease 
to  bewail  as  captives  your  bondage,  which  is  now  at  an 
end.  Unjust  have  been  the  different  captivities  to  which 
you  have  been  subjected.  Egypt  abused  the  laws  of 
hospitality  in  its  treatment  of  your  fathers  ;  Assyria  op- 
pressed them  without  cause  ;  and  now  you  are  held  here 
as  slaves  for  whom  your  masters,  the  Babylonians,  have 
paid  nothing  to  Jehovah.  Thus  his  name  is  constantly 
being  dishonored  ;  but  in  the  coming  day,  when  he  ful- 
fils his  promises  of  deliverance,  his  people  and  the  whole 
world  will  appreciate  his  true  character. 
Deliverance  If  you  had  the  enlightened  prophetic  sight  you  might 
(52 :  7-12)  even  now  see  hastening  over  the  mountains  to  Jerusalem 
the  herald  of  peace  and  deliverance,  proclaiming  that 
Jehovah,  Israel's  God,  has  again  assumed  the  direct  rule 
over  his  people.  Already  the  watchmen  of  the  holy  city 
186 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  52  :  15 

are  beginning  to  rejoice,  for  they  can  behold  him  return- 
ing to  his  former  abode.  The  desolate  ruins  of  Jerusalem 
will  now  be  rebuilt,  for  Jehovah  is  about  to  reveal  his 
omnipotence  to  the  nations  by  restoring  his  people.  Al- 
ready he  commands  you,  O  Jewish  exiles  in  Babylon,  to 
leave  the  polluted  land.  Guard  yourselves  carefully  from 
anything  which  may  render  you  ceremonially  unclean,  for 
it  is  your  sacred  duty  to  bear  back  with  you  the  holy  ves- 
sels which  were  carried  away  by  Nebuchadrezzar  after 
the  destruction  of  the  temple.  Go  not  forth  as  fugitives, 
but  as  victors,  as  becomes  a  people  escorted  and  guarded 
by  Jehovah,  your  divine  Guide  and  Protector. 

5.   The  Mission  and  Future    Vindication  of  Jehovah's 
Martyr  Servant  (52  :  13  to  53  :  12)  " 

•*  By  virtue  of  his  wise  action,"  Jehovah  declares,  "  the  Jehovah's 
one  who  shall  fully  realize  my  ideal  of  service,  shall  in  the  specUng^thT 
end  attain  highest  honor.     As  many  were  appalled  be-  servant  ^'^ 
cause  of  the  overwhelming  misfortunes  which  befell  him  (52 :  13-15) 
and  which  they  regarded  as  evidence  of  my  displeasure 
aroused  by  his  sins,  so  shall  they  stand— kings  and  hum- 
blest  subjects  alike— before  him    in    awe-struck  silence, 
astounded  by  the  greatness  of  his  exaltation.     Then  shall 
they  realize  what  they  had  never  before  suspected,  namely, 

*  In  the  original  this  section  is  a  poem  consisting  of  stanzas  of  four  Hnes 
each. 

187 


Isaiah  53  :  i  Messages  of  the 

that  affliction,  voluntarily,  nobly  borne  in  my  service, 
leads  to  glory." 
The  testi-  Later  generations,  appreciating  the  full  significance  of 
later  genera-  the  work  of  Jehovah's  Servant,  shall  exclaim  :  "  Who  be- 
(537i-6)  lieved  the  revelation  respecting  the  servant  which  was 
announced  to  us  by  the  prophets,  and  who  realized  that 
God's  purpose  was  being  accomplished  by  his  sacrifice 
and  sufferings?  The  victim  of  adverse  circumstances, 
he  possessed  no  external  attractions.  Abandoned  by  his 
fellows,  afflicted  with  wasting  disease,  avoided  as  an  out- 
cast, we  depised  him,  never  suspecting  his  true  character 
and  the  nature  of  the  service  which  he  was  performing 
for  us  all.  And  yet  it  is  now  clear  that  he  whom  we 
regarded  as  the  especial  object  of  Jehovah's  righteous 
wrath,  was  afflicted  that  we  might  thereby  be  delivered 
from  pain  and  disease.  The  repeated  disasters  that  fell 
upon  him  were  the  consequences,  not  of  his,  but  of  our, 
crimes.  Peace  came  to  us  instead  of  judgment,  because 
our  punishment  fell  upon  him.  We  all  as  a  nation  had 
ceased  to  follow  Jehovah  and  to  obey  the  divine  com- 
mands, but  in  accordance  with  God's  mysterious  purpose, 
the  punishment  of  our  apostasy  and  disobedience  fell,  not 
upon  our  guilty  heads,  but  upon  this  ideal  servant." 
"^on  *^o^f 'the  "  ^^^^o^gh  the  objcct  of  cruelly  unjust  persecution,  he 
inspired        submissivcly,   Voluntarily,   and   in   silence   endured.     By 

prophet  .  ,  11,., 

(53 :  7-12)     an  unjust  sentence  was  he  put  to  death  ;  while  no  one  of 
his  contemporaries  recognized  that  he  was  thus  struck 
188 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  54  :  3 

down  in  his  innocence  because  of  the  sins  of  Jehovah's 
people.  Even  after  his  death,  he  was  buried  as  a  com- 
mon criminal,  although  he  was  perfectly  guiltless  in 
thought  and  deed.  All  this  seeming  injustice,  however, 
was  no  accident.  In  accordance  with  Jehovah's  gracious 
purpose,  he  was  allowed  to  offer  himself  as  a  sacrifice  for 
others'  guilt,  that  thus  he  might  beget  spiritual  offspring, 
and  through  them  live  immortally.  After  his  pain  and 
trial  is  over,  he  shall  enjoy  the  perfect  consciousness  of 
having  been  instrumental  in  delivering  many  from  the 
consequences  of  their  sins.  His  shall  be  the  glory  and 
the  rewards  of  a  mighty  victor,  because  he  voluntarily  sac-  ] 

rificed  his  all,  even  his  life  and  his  reputation  in  the  eyes  I 

of  his  contemporaries,  in  order  that  he  might  thereby  de-  i 

liver  many  from  their  load  of  guilt  and  bring  them  into 
harmony  with  the  eternal  God  of  love.  I 

6.  Renewed  Promises  of  Restoration  (54)  1 

O  nation  desolate  and  without  children,  sing  the  pasan  The  period  ' 

,.  ,  .,  ,  .  ,  .  r,i,,-,     of  affliction 

of  Victory,  for  without  undergoing  the  pains  of  childbirth,  is  over  j 

you  will  suddenly  find  that  the  numbers  of  your  citizens  ^'^^  '  ^"'°^  , 

are  far  greater  than  during  the  days  of  your  national  inde-  | 

pendence  and   prosperity  in  Canaan.     Prepare   for   this  j 

great  increase  ;  extend  your  borders,  for  in  the  coming  , 

restoration  your  descendants  will  possess  the  territory  of 
the  heathen  nations  and  rebuild  the  now  desolate  ruins  of 
Palestine.     Do  not  fear  that  you  will  again  be  humiliated 
189 


Isaiah  54  :  4  Messages  of  the 

in  the  eyes  of  mankind.  Soon  will  you  forget  the  shame 
of  the  past  and  present,  for  Jehovah,  who  is  Lord  of  all, 
has  covenanted  to  love  and  care  for  you.  He  will  surely 
deliver  you.  Because  of  the  intimate  relationship  which  has 
existed  between  you  and  him  from  your  earliest  history, 
he  will  never  entirely  reject  you.  For  a  brief  period  he 
has  severely  disciplined  you  because  of  your  infidelity  to 
him,  but  the  infinite  love  and  compassion  which  he  feels 
toward  you  will  find  eternal  expression.  This  period  of 
exile  is  to  you  as  a  nation  what  the  deluge  was  in  the  days 
of  Noah  to  the  human  race.  As  Jehovah  promised  to 
Noah  and  his  descendants  that  never  again  would  he  de- 
stroy mankind  by  a  flood,  so  he  now  solemnly  assures  you 
who  are  faithful  that  he  will  never  again  visit  his  ven- 
geance upon  you.  The  eternal  mountains  may  be  shaken 
from  their  foundations,  but  his  mercy  and  the  abundance 
of  life  which  he  will  give  you  shall  never  cease. 
The  re-es-  To  the  faithful  members  of  the  race  now  scattered  hither 
of  the  nation  and  thither,  the  victims  of  calamity  and  persecution  and 
(54  :  ii-i4a)  ^^,j|.]^Q^^.  ^  comforter,  Jehovah  declares  :  "  I  will  re-estab- 
lish you  and  your  capital  city,  Jerusalem,  firmly  and  glori- 
ously. Strength  and  beauty  shall  characterize  you  as  a 
nation,  instead  of  the  present  weakness  and  shame.  Your 
descendants  shall  enjoy  in  rich  measure  peace  and  pros- 
perity, for  I  will  instruct  them  in  the  principles  of  right- 
eousness and  truth. 

"  Then  shall  the  possibility  of  oppression  and  the  ter- 
190 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  55:2 

rors  which  constantly  haunt  you,  be  no  more.     Calami-  The  future 

luvulncrabil- 

ties,  such  as  have  swept  over  you,  shall  never  come  agam.  ityof  the 

Instead  of  falling  a  prey  to  those  who  attack  you,  you  will  "5^4':°"4b.i7) 

be  able  to  overthrow  them.     I,  the  Creator  of  everything, 

raised  up  the  foes  who  destroyed  you.     Surely  now  that 

you  have  been  disciplined  and  I  am  reconciled,  you  have 

no  cause  to  fear  any  nation  or  power  in  all  the  universe. 

The  arms  of  your  enemies  shall  be  raised  in  vain  against 

you.     From  every  contest  you  will  emerge  victors.     These 

shall  be  the  rewards  and  permanent  possessions  of  those 

who  have  proved  themselves  my  true  servants,  for  thus 

will  I  vindicate  them." 

7.  A  General  Invitation  to  Participate  in  the  Blessings 
of  the  Coming  Restoration  (55) 

Let  all  who   long  for   restoration  and    a  fulfilment  of  The  call  to 

,.  ...  ..  r        1        -r    ■,  ,,  .,,  spiritual  life 

their  spiritual  aspirations  accept  freely  Jehovah  s  gift  of  and  service 
prosperity,  of  reconciliation,  of  deliverance  and  the  satis-  ^^^  *  ^'^^ 
faction  of  their  soul's  desires.  Do  not  expend  all  your 
energies  in  attaining  the  mere  material  comforts  and  pos- 
sessions offered  by  this  land  of  your  exile.  They  will 
never  satisfy  your  higher  cravings.  Listen  to  Jehovah's 
call  to  service ;  leave  Babylon  behind  ;  go  back,  even 
though  it  calls  for  great  sacrifices,  to  the  land  of  your 
fathers  ;  and  you  have  the  divine  assurance  that  your 
highest  hopes  and  aspirations  shall  be  completely  ful- 
filled. Heed  this  call  to  duty,  for  only  in  responding  to  it 
191 


Isaiah  55  :  3 


Messages  of  the 


Neglect  not 
Jehovah's 
gracious 
invitation 
(55  :  6-9) 


Jehovah's 
promise  of 
restoration 
will  surely 
be  fulfilled 
(55  :  10-13) 


will  you  find  your  true  spiritual  development.  If  you  do 
heed,  Jehovah  will  enter  again  into  an  intimate  and  sol- 
emn relationship  with  you  and  realize  through  you  the 
gracious  promises  which  he  gave  to  David  and  to  his 
house.  By  uniting  the  Hebrew  race  and  by  extending 
the  rule  of  Israel  throughout  Palestine,  your  first  great 
king  brought  his  race  and  religion  prominently  before  the 
ancient  world.  Even  so  you,  by  your  faithful  service, 
will  proclaim  Jehovah's  character  and  demands  to  distant 
peoples,  now  unknown  to  you.  Foreign  nations  shall 
come  hastening  to  you  because  of  Jehovah,  your  God, 
and  because  of  the  glory  which  he  will  confer  upon  you. 

Do  not  lose  this  supreme  opportunity  when  Jehovah 
calls  you  and  is  so  eager  to  be  reconciled  with  you. 
Let  those  who  have  been  following  their  own  selfish, 
wicked  ways,  neglectful  of  his  commands,  turn  to  him  in 
true  penitence,  and  be  assured  of  his  free  and  full  for- 
giveness and  a  share  in  his  promises.  Your  aims  and 
purposes  are  far  different  from  those  of  Jehovah  ;  for 
while  you  are  thinking  of  the  material  things  of  the  mo- 
ment, he  is  preparing  for  you  and  for  mankind  everlast- 
ing spiritual  and  national  blessings,  far  surpassing  your 
power  to  comprehend. 

As  he  provides  with  infinite  care  and  wisdom  by  means 
of  the  processes  of  nature  for  the  material  needs  of  man, 
so  will  he  also  realize  in  human  life  and  history  his  eter- 
nal promises  and  commands.  None  shall  fail  to  be  ful- 
192 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  55  :  13 

filled.  Therefore  be  assured,  doubting  exiles,  that  with- 
out opposition  and  with  songs  of  praise  in  your  hearts 
you  will  go  forth  from  the  land  of  your  captivity.  The 
whole  universe  will  rejoice  with  you  in  your  deliverance. 
Your  present  misery  shall  be  exchanged  for  joy  and  pros- 
perity. Judah,  to  which  you  will  be  restored,  will  cease 
to  be  an  unattractive  desolation  and  become  a  paradise. 
Thus  in  the  deliverance  and  restoration  of  you,  his  chosen 
people,  Jehovah's  true  character  shall  be  revealed  once 
and  for  all  time  to  mankind. 


193 


THE    iMESSAGES    OF   HAGGAI   AND 
ZECHARIAH    TO   THE   TEM- 
PLE   BUILDERS 


THE  MESSAGES  OF  HAGGAI    AND   ZECH- 
ARIAH  TO  THE  TEMPLE  BUILDERS 


THE    FIRST    TWO    DECADES    OF    THE  PERSIAN  PERIOD 

After  becoming  master  of  the  old  Median  and  Lydian 
empires,  Cyrus,  the  Persian,  in  October  of  the  year  538 
B.C.,  completed  his  remarkable  career  of  conquest  by  the 
capture  of  the  city  of  Babylon.  This  victory,  which  ex- 
tended his  rule  at  one  stroke  to  the  borders  of  Egypt,  was 
won  almost  without  bloodshed.  The  decisive  battle  was 
fought  in  northern  Babylon,  between  the  Babylonian 
forces,  led  by  their  king,  Nabonidus,  and  the  Persian,  led 
by  one  of  the  generals  of  Cyrus,  and  resulted  in  a  sweep- 
ing victory  for  the  latter.  After  this  first  defeat  the  over- 
whelming prestige  of  Cyrus,  the  attractive  promises  which 
he  held  out  to  the  conquered,  and  the  dissatisfaction  which 
they  felt  toward  their  king  because  of  his  religious  inno- 
vations influenced  the  Babylonians  to  open  their  gates  to 
the  conqueror.  Within  a  week  after  the  first  engagement 
he  was,  according  to  the  inscriptions,  in  possession  of  the 
proud  mistress  of  the  lower  Euphrates. 

'97 


Haggai  Messages  of  the 

While  Cyrus  lived  the  Babylonians  had  no  cause  to  re- 
gret their  ready  surrender.  A  universal  amnesty  v^as 
granted  to  all ;  the  rights  of  his  new  subjects  were  care- 
fully guarded  ;  building  enterprises  were  instituted ;  the 
temples  of  the  Babylonians,  which  had  been  neglected  by 
Nabonidus,  who  was  interested  only  in  the  ancient  gods 
of  the  race,  were  repaired  and  adorned.  In  public  inscrip- 
tions Cyrus  declared  himself  and  his  son,  Cambyses,  to  be 
devoted  worshippers  of  the  gods  of  Babylon.  Toward  the 
peoples  formerly  subject  to  the  Babylonians  he  showed 
like  favor.  As  soon  as  they  had  acknowledged  his  rule, 
he  restored  to  their  homes  all  captives  whom  he  found  in 
Babylon.  He  also  assisted  in  rebuilding  their  ruined  tem- 
ples and  sent  back  their  gods  which  had  been  carried  off 
by  earlier  conquerors  (Cyrus  Cylinder,  31,  32). 

Although  the  Jews  are  nowhere  mentioned  in  the  in- 
scriptions of  Cyrus  thus  far  discovered,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  same  free  permission  was  granted  to  them 
to  return  that  was  given  to  all  exiles  deported  to  Babylon 
by  the  Chaldeans. 

It  was  also  in  perfect  accord  with  his  well-known  policy 
of  conciliation  to  encourage  the  Jews  to  rebuild  their  ruined 
temple.  The  quotation  from  the  old  Aramaic  document 
(Ezra  6  :  3-5)  contains  the  Jewish  version  of  a  decree  at- 
tributed to  Cyrus  in  which  he  gives  command  that  "  the 
house  of  God  at  Jerusalem  be  builded,  the  place  where 
they  offer  sacrifices,"  that  the  expense  be  defrayed  from 
19S 


Later  Prophets  Haggai 

the  royal  exchequer,  and  that  the  vessels  which  Nebuchad- 
rezzar carried  to  Babylon  be  returned.  The  same  source 
also  states  that  the  restoration  of  these  vessels  was  as- 
signed to  a  certain  Sheshbazzar,  probably  one  of  the  Jew- 
ish royal  line  (i  Chr.  3  :  18),  who  was  appointed  gover- 
nor of  the  province  of  Judah.  These  concessions  were  no 
greater  than  those  which  Cyrus  himself  states  he  made  to 
conquered  people  who  came  under  his  rule.  In  the  case 
of  the  peoples  of  Palestine  there  was  a  still  further  reason 
why  he  was  especially  eager  to  insure  their  loyalty  to  him, 
as  well  as  to  develop  the  resources  of  this  frontier  prov- 
ince, for  already  he  was  contemplating  the  conquest  of 
Egypt. 

The  decree  contained  in  the  old  Aramaic  document 
(Ezra  6  :  3-5)  makes  no  reference  to  a  general  return  of 
the  Jews  in  Babylon  to  Palestine.  Cyrus  aimed  rather  to 
win  the  loyalty  of  the  remnants  of  the  Jewish  nation,  who 
had  been  left  behind  in  Judah  or  who  had  soon  returned 
from  the  adjacent  lands  where  they  had  taken  refuge. 
That  their  numbers  were  much  larger  than  is  generally 
supposed  is  indicated  by  a  variety  of  references  (compare 
Jer.  24  :  8  ;  40 ;  44  :  15  ;  Ezek.  33  :  24).  Never  had  they 
ceased  to  regard  the  temple  site  as  the  one  sacred  spot 
where  Jehovah  could  rightly  be  worshipped.  Before  the 
close  of  the  Babylonian  exile  they  had  reared  an  altar  and 
instituted  sacrifices  there,  as  the  decree  of  Cyrus  plainly 
states  (Ezra  6  :  3).  Permission  to  rebuild  the  ruined  tem- 
199 


Haggai  McSSci^cS  of  the 

pie  was,  therefore,  well  calculated  to  secure  iheir  grateful 
attachment  to  the  Persian  rule. 

There  is  no  evidence  in  the  oldest  record?  :ha:  n:any 
Jews  in  Babylon  heeded  the  impassioned  exhcr:a::or.s  of 
the  great  prophet  of  the  exile.  He  indeed  seems  to  have 
feared  that  the  sup>erior  attractions  offered  by  the  land  of 
the  great  rivers,  to  which  they  had  already  become  at- 
tached, would  deter  them  from  returning.  The  prospect 
of  leaving  behind  their  comfortable  homes  and  opportu- 
nities for  a  life  of  comparative  luxury"  to  enter  upon  the 
long,  painful  journey  which  would  bring  them  back  to 
desolate  Judah  with  its  barren  hills,  with  its  poverty- 
stricken,  ignorant  population  and  with  its  treacherous,  ma- 
lignant foes,  who  had  already  seized  nearly  half  of  the 
territory  held  by  the  Judeans  before  the  exile,  was  far  from 
inviting. 

Few  appear  to  have  been  equal  to  the  great  sacrifice. 
Their  numbers  were  too  small  to  secure  for  them  any 
mention  in  the  sermons  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah.  The 
latter  speaks  in  519  B.  C.  of  a  small  deputation  "  of 
them  of  the  captivity  who  had  come  from  Babylon  "  bring- 
ing gifts  to  the  Jewish  community  in  the  west  (6  :  9.  10) ; 
but  in  addressing  their  audiences  these  prophets  alwa)-s  call 
them  either  the  "  people  of  the  land  "  or  the  "  people  who 
have  been  left."  These  were  the  exact  terms  used  by 
Jeremiah  to  distinguish  the  Jews  who  were  left  behind 
after  the  Babylonian  deportations  from  those  who  had 
200 


Later  PropJiets  Haggai 

been  carried  away  (Jer.  42  :  2,  15,  19;  43  :  5  ;  44  :  7,  12, 
14).  In  519  B.  C.  Zechariah  evidently  regarded  the  exile 
as  not  yet  ended  (i  :  12),  and  earnestly  exhorted  the  Jews 
in  Babylon  to  return  (2  :  7).  Also,  in  445  B.  C,  Nehemiah 
knew  of  no  general  return,  but  only  inquires  from  a  depu- 
tation of  his  race  from  Palestine  which  waits  upon  him, 
'*  How  are  the  Jews  who  escaped,  who  were  left  of  the 
captivity  ?  "  (i  :  3). 

The  opening  chapters  of  the  Book  of  Ezra  furnish  the 
only  basis  for  the  generally  accepted  conclusion  that  thirty, 
or  forty  thousand  Jews  returned  from  Babylon  soon  after 
539  B.  C.  These  chapters  are  from  the  pen  of  an  author 
who  lived  in  the  Greek  period,  centuries  after  the  men  to 
whom  Haggai  and  Zechariah  spoke  had  passed  away,  and 
they,  therefore,  present  the  later  conception  of  this  earlier 
age.  A  careful  study  of  the  lists  preserved  in  Ezra  2  (and 
also  introduced  again  in  Nehemiah  7)  demonstrates  that 
they  represent  a  census  of  "  the  children  of  the  province," 
in  all  probability,  taken  not  at  the  beginning,  but  during 
the  last  century  of  the  Persian  period  (see  pp.  276-278  ; 
compare  ¥.Q.\\i,  History  of  the  Jewish  People,  pp.  128, 
130,  225,  228). 

These  facts  suggest  the  true  historical  background  of 
the  prophecies  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah.  The  decree  of 
Cyrus  had  given  the  Jewish  community  in  Palestine  full 
permission,  ami  even  encouraged  them  to  rebuild  the 
ruined  temple.  Governors  from  the  royal  Judcan  line  — 
201 


Haggai  Messages  of  the 

first  Sheshbazzar  and  then  Zerubbabel — had  been  placed 
over  them.  Joshua,  a  hneal  descendant  of  the  priestly 
family  who  had  been  in  charge  of  the  pre-exilic  temple,  also 
performed  their  sacrifices.  With  these  leaders  had  prob- 
ably returned  certain  Jews  of  Babylon,  zealous  to  see  the 
temple  rebuilt  and  imbued  with  the  superior  religious  spirit 
which  characterized  those  of  the  dispersion.  But,  not- 
withstanding all  these  encouragements,  really  nothing  had 
been  done  toward  rearing  Jehovah's  sanctuary.  Unpro- 
ductive seasons  had  reduced  the  scant  resources  of  the 
Jewish  community.  Those  w^ho  were  able  had  devoted 
themselves  to  building  better  houses  for  themselves  and 
their  families.  Although  they  recognized  the  obligation 
to  begin  the  restoration  of  the  ruined  temple,  they  excused 
their  inactivity  by  the  plea  that  the  favorable  moment  had 
not  yet  arrived.  If  they  were  familiar,  as  they  probably 
w^ere,  with  the  glowing  predictions  of  Ezekiel  and  the  great 
prophet  of  the  exile,  the  reality  must  have  seemed  all  the 
more  hopelessly  discouraging  because  of  the  contrast. 
Thus  the  struggling,  poverty-stricken  community  was  los- 
ing its  confidence,  its  faith,  and  its  ideals;  while  the 
golden  opportunity  for  rebuilding  the  temple  and  so  estab- 
lishing a  common  bond  with  which  to  unite  the  scattered 
Jewish  race  was  slipping  away.  Neither  Zerubbabel  nor 
Joshua  possessed  the  energy  and  influence  required  to 
arouse  the  people  to  action. 

In  the  years  522  to  520  B.  C.  the  entire  ancient  civilized 
202 


Later  Prophets  Haggai 

world  was  shaken  from  the  lethargy  which  had  seized  it 
after  the  conquests  of  Cyrus  were  completed,  by  the  death 
of  his  son  Cambyses.  Already  the  Persian  throne  had  been 
seized  by  a  pretender,  Gomates,  who  succeeded  only  for  a 
short  time  in  holding  together  the  great  empire.  When 
he  was  slain  by  the  hands  of  conspirators,  Darius,  a  de- 
scendant through  a  collateral  branch  of  the  same  family 
to  which  the  great  Cyrus  belonged,  was  placed  by  his  fel- 
low-conspirators on  the  throne. 

Many  of  the  subject  peoples  improved  the  opportunity 
to  renounce  the  Persian  rule  and  to  rally  about  princes  of 
their  own  blood.  From  one  end  to  the  other  the  empire 
was  torn  asunder  by  rebellions.  That  Darius  would  ever 
succeed  in  quieting  them  seemed  an  utter  impossibility. 

The  reports  of  revolt  inspired  the  hearts  of  the  depend- 
ent people  everywhere  with  hopes  of  freedom  and  national 
glory.  The  Jews  in  Palestine  were  not  unaffected.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  520  B.  C.  the  rebellions  in  the  east 
were  at  their  height.  The  moment  was  a  critical  one  in 
Jewish  history,  for  then,  if  ever,  the  hopes  of  the  people 
were  calculated  to  inspire  action. 


203 


Haggai  Messages  of  the 

II 

THE    PERSONALITY    OF    HAGGAI    AND    ZECHARIAH 

Respecting  the  personal  life  and  character  of  the  two 
prophets,  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  the  biblical  record  fur- 
nishes no  information  beyond  what  is  contained  in  their 
prophecies.  Although  one  in  purpose  and  closely  asso- 
ciated, each  possessed  an  individuality  which  was  in 
marked  contrast  to  that  of  the  other. 

Haggai's  language  and  message  indicate  that  he  was  a 
layman.  His  appeal  to  the  priest  for  an  official  decision 
(2  :  11-13)  confirms  the  conclusion,  for  if  he  had  belonged 
to  the  priestly  class,  like  Zechariah  (Zech.  7),  he  would 
himself  have  given  the  formal  deliverance.  There  is  no 
evidence  to  support  the  late  Jewish  tradition  to  the  effect 
that  he  was  an  old  man  when  he  delivered  his  prophecy. 
His  appeal  to  the  old  men  who  had  viewed  the  former 
temple  (2  :  3)  suggests  that  he  was  young  rather  than 
advanced  in  years.  His  energy,  courage,  and  enthusiasm 
all,  as  in  the  case  of  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  are  character- 
istic of  the  opening  rather  than  the  closing  years  of  life. 
He  was  also  a  man  of  action,  not  of  quiet  meditation.  He 
seems  to  speak  as  a  native  of  Judah,  and  his  sermons 
furnish  no  evidence  that  he  had  ever  been  in  Babylon,  so 
that  he  may  well  be  regarded  as  the  enlightened  con- 
science of  the  resident  Palestinian  community. 
204 


Later  Prop  J  ids  Zechariah 

Zechariah's  great  interest  and  familiarity  with  priestly 
matters  confirm  beyond  doubt  the  statement  of  the  super- 
scription to  his  prophecy  that  he  belonged  to  the  priestly 
family  of  Iddo  (Neh.  12  :  4).  There  is  a  depth  and 
spirituality  in  his  thought  and  teaching  which  suggest 
maturity  and  a  wide  experience  of  life.  The  religious 
conditions  and  problems  of  the  community  command  his 
attention.  He  is  also  a  careful  student  of  Israel's  past 
and  of  the  messages  of  the  earlier  prophets.  His  sermons 
betray  an  intimate  familiarity  with  the  writings  of  Ezekiel 
and  with  the  great  prophet  of  the  exile.  His  political  out- 
look extends  far  beyond  the  borders  of  Palestine.  His 
use  of  elaborate  vision  suggests  that  he  received  his 
youthful  training  in  the  calm  and  leisure  of  the  exile 
rather  than  in  unsettled  Judah.  He  also  manifests  close 
acquaintance  with  the  commercial  life  of  Babylon.  Being 
a  priest,  his  ancestors  were,  without  much  doubt,  among 
the  captives  carried  to  Babylon  by  Nebuchadrezzar,  so 
that  he,  like  Joshua  and  Zerubbabel,  was  one  of  the  few 
faithful  exiles  who  came  back  to  Judah  to  lead  and  to  in- 
struct the  poor  ignorant  community  in  Palestine. 

Together  these  two  prophets,  widely  different  in  char- 
acter and  training,  but  like  Elijah  and  Elisha,  each  in- 
complete without  the  other,  labored,  not  only  for  the  re- 
building of  the  temple,  but  also  for  the  reorganization  of 
the  community  and  the  revival  of  its  spiritual  life  and  hope. 


205 


Haggai  i  :  i  Messages  of  the 


III 

THE    OPENING     ADDRESSES     OF     THE     PROPHETS 

(hag.  I  :  I  to  2  :  9  ;  zech.  i  :  i-6) 

I.   Haggai  s  Call  to  Begin  Building  the  Temple 
(I  :  i-ii) 

The  occa-         In  September  of  the  year  520  B.  C,  on  the  first  day  of 
(i :  i)  the  month,  when  the  members  of  the  discouraged  Judean 

community  were  gathered  at  Jerusalem  to  celebrate  on  the 
ruined  temple  site  the  feast  of  the  new  moon,  the  proph- 
et Haggai  improved  the  opportunity  to  appeal  to  the  civil 
Jehovah's     and   rcUgious   leaders  of   the  people.     "  Hear  Jehovah's 
tk)n  ortlTe'    message  to  you,  selfish,  faint-hearted  people  !   Cease  urg- 
buUdin"  the  ^"§^  '^^^  ^^^^  Continued  failure  to  rebuild   this   desolate 
temple         temple  the  excuse  that  the  opportune  time  has  not  yet 
arrived.  You  have  found  time  to  build  comfortable  homes 
for  yourselves.     Are  you  not  ashamed  to  live  in  well-built 
houses,  while  you  allow  my  house  to  lie  here  in  ruins? 
You  cannot  plead  ignorance  of  my  wishes ;  for  consider 
the  recent  fortunes — or  rather  the  misfortunes — that  have 
come  to  you.     The  enterprises  into  which  you  have  put 
your  best  efforts  have  ended  in  disaster ;  your  labors  have 
been  in  vain  ;  your  hard-earned  savings  have  been  dis- 
sipated.    Are  not  these  calamities  plain  evidence  that  I 
am  displeased  with  your  conduct } 
206 


Later  Prophets  Haggai  2  :  i 

"  Since  you  are  too  obtuse  to  interpret  the  significance  Build  the 
of  his  deaHng  with  you,  Jehovah,  the  Omnipotent,  gives  Llenje'h!?- 
you  this  plain   command:  'Forthwith  go  out  upon  the  "'fJ'J^^^'- 
hills  and  secure  the  necessary  timber  and  begin  the  repair  (^  '•  7-"  ) 
of  my  temple,  that  I  may  no  longer  be  dishonored  by  the 
disloyalty  of  my  chosen  people,  and  that  they  may  be- 
come as  pleasing  to  me  as  now  they  are  displeasing.    The 
hard    times  which   you  have  experienced  were  no  mere 
chance.     I  it  was  who  caused  a  curse  to  rest  upon  the 
scanty  fruits  of  your  toil  ;  and  why  ?     Because  every  one 
of  you  was  so  eagerly  intent  upon  building  his  own  house 
that  you  have  allowed  my  house  to  remain  a  desolate  ruin. 
For  this  reason  I  have  sent  no  rain  to  fructify  the  earth, 
but  instead  drought,  which  has  destroyed  your  means  of 
support  and  brought  you  face  to  face  with  starvation.'  " 

The  strong  appeal  of  Haggai  touched  the  consciences  Effect  of 
and  aroused  the  religious  zeal  of  Zerubbabel,  the  governor,  fpp^ff '' 
of  Joshua,  the  high  priest,  and  of  the  people,  so   that  be-  (^  '•  "-'5) 
fore  the  twenty-fourth  day  of  the  same  month,  the  work 
upon  the  temple  was  begun. 

2-  Haggai  s  Encouragement  to  the  People  to  Persevere 
(2  :  1-9) 

In  November,  about  a  month  and  a  half  after  he  de-  The  occa- 
livered  his  first  sermon,  when  the  people  were  beginning  (3°" 
to  grow  discouraged,  Haggai  again  addressed  the  leaders 
207 


sion 
I) 


Haggai  2  :  2  Messages  of  the 

and   people,  probably  as  they  were  assembled  to  observe 
the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  : 
Jehovah's         "  Naturally,  as  you  behold  the  extent  of  the  ruins  of  the 

promise  that  .  ^  ^ 

he  will  rich-  ancient  temple,  and  as  some  of  you  with  gray  beards  re- 
efforSof  ^  call  its  spleudor  as  you  saw  it  before  its  destruction,  sixty- 
bulideTs^'"  six  years  ago,  you  feel  that  in  comparison  the  structure 
(2  : 2-9)  yyg  ^j-g  rearing  is  mean  and  insigniticant.  '  But  be  not 
discouraged,  O  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua,  be  not  discouraged 
O  people  of  the  land,'  is  Jehovah's  sure  message  to  you. 
'  Persevere  in  the  noble  task  that  you  have  undertaken  and 
be  assured  of  my  blessing  and  help  ;  for  my  spirit  is  ever 
present  with  you.  Though  you  are  weak  and  struggling 
in  the  midst  of  many  dangers,  do  not  lose  heart.  Soon  I 
will  transform  existing  conditions,  so  that  instead  of  being 
obliged  to  send  your  paltry  earnings  as  tribute  to  the  dis- 
tant people  which  rules  over  you,  you  shall  behold  all  the 
nations  bringing  to  Jerusalem  their  richest  possessions  to 
adorn  my  temple.  Do  you  doubt  the  realization  of  this 
promise  }  Remember  that  all  the  wealth  of  the  world  is 
mine.  Even  though  the  present  outlook  is  dark,  the 
future  glory  of  the  sanctuary  shall  be  greater  than  that  of 
the  past.  Above  all,  to  it  and  to  every  one  who  has  been 
active  in  rebuilding  it,  I  will  grant  my  peace,  which  is  far 
more  valuable  than  any  earthly  possession.'  "  * 

*  The  last  sentence  is  based  upon  a  reading  which  has  been  preserved  in 
the  Septuagint. 

208 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  i  :  6 


3.  ZixhariaJi's  Lcssois p'om  the  Past  (i  :  1-6) 


means 
death 
(1 :  1-6) 


About  two  months  after  Haggai  made  his  opening  ad-  Disobedi- 
dress  to  the  people,  Zechariah  dehvered  his  tirst  recorded  wlh^s 
sermon.     In  the  name  of  Jehovah  he  declared  :  "  Do  not  ^"'"'"^"''^ 

-'  means 

make  the  fatal  mistake  of  your  fathers,  who  incurred  my  death 
fierce  displeasure  because  they  utterly  disregarded  the 
plain  warnings  and  exhortations  of  my  prophets  and  paid 
no  heed  to  my  demands.  Your  fathers  have  passed  away, 
and  likewise  the  prophets  who  proclaimed  my  will ;  but 
the  fate  which  overtook  your  fathers,  as  well  as  their  testi- 
mony, have  demonstrated  that  although  the  form  of  my 
message  may  vary,  its  content  is  unchanging,  and  they 
who  defy  my  commands  and  break  my  eternal  laws  will 
surely  pay  the  penalty  of  their  misdeeds.  Therefore, 
avoid  the  fatal  sins  of  past  generations,  seek  faithfully  to 
know  and  do  my  will,  that  thus  it  may  be  consistent  for 
me  to  bless  and  prosper  you  as  my  unbounded  love  for 
you  prompts." 


209 


Haggai  2  :  lo  Messages  of  the 


IV 

HAGGAI'S      SERMONS      IN     CONNECTION     WITH      THE 

LAYING    OF    THE    FOUNDATION    OF    THE 

TEMPLE    (2    :   10-23) 

I.  The  Forjner  Uncleaiiness  of  the  Community  and  the 
New  Promise  of  Blessings  (2  :  10-19) 

The  setting       During  the  latter  part  of  December,  in  the  memorable 
moM2^rio)  year  520  B.  C,  the  foundation  of  the  temple  was  formally 
laid.     Of   the    two   messages   of   encouragement   which 
Haggai  delivered  upon  that  day,  the  first  was  intended  for 
the  community  as  a  whole.     Since  the  written  law  had 
not  yet  been  expanded  as  it  was  in  later  times,  the  people 
consulted  the  priests  for  a  formal  decision  in  regard  to  all 
questions  not  answered  in  the   book  of   Deuteronomy, 
which  was  evidently  still  the  code  of  the  Jews  in  Palestine 
(Deut.  17  :  8-13). 
Contamlnat-      Turning  in  public  to  the  priests,  the  prophet  demanded 
of  the  an  official  decision  :  "  Does  anything  holy,  as,  for  exam- 

^a"?!^"^)  pie,  the  flesh  of  the  sacrifice,  communicate  its  holiness 
beyond  these  objects  which  it  immediately  touches  ? " 
When  the  priests  answered  "  No,"  the  prophet  further  in- 
quired :  "  Does  anything  which  has  touched  a  thing  cere- 
monially unclean,  as,  for  example,  a  corpse,  communicate 
210 


Later  Prophets  '  Haggai  2  :  20 

the  defilement  to  everything  with  which  it  comes  in  con- 
tact ?  "     To  this  the  priests  answered  *'  Yes." 

"According  to  the  same  principle,"  the  prophet  declared  Thejrfanure 
in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  "  this  people,  all  of  their  work,  and  the  temple 
the  sacrifices  which   they  offer  on  the  altar,  which  they  the  people'' 
have  reared  there  on  the  old  site,  are  unclean  before  Je-  ^^  •  ^"^'^^^ 
hovah.     Their  sacrifices   certainly   will   not   effect   their 
cleansing,  while  that  ruined,  polluted   temple  communi- 
cates its  defilement  to  offerers  and  offerings  alike.    Think, 
people,  of  your  past  experience  up  to  the  present  day,  un- 
til, by  laying  the  foundation  of  the  temple,  you  manifested 
a  genuine  desire  to  remove  this  source  of  pollution  from 
your  midst.     Surely  the  return  from  your  fields  and  vine- 
yards has  not  half  fulfilled  your  reasonable  expectations. 
The  reason  why  is  obvious :  Jehovah  it  was  who  sent  the 
blight  and  hail  to  destroy  the  unclean  work  of  your  hands. 
While  you  were  all  defiled,  in  consequence  of  your  selfish 
neglect  of  his  temple,  it  was  foolish  for  you  to  expect  im- 
mediate prosperity ;  but  now  that  the  fundamental  work 
of  cleansing  has  begun,  Jehovah  declares  that  he  will  show 
you  his  favor." 

Promise  to 

2.  The  Revival  of  the  National  Hopes  of  Israel  (2  :  20-23)  Zeruhbabel 

•'  ^  ■'  of  a  promi- 

To  Zerubbabel,  the  governor  of  Judah  and  legal  heir  to  "he  new*" '" 
the  throne  of  David,  the  prophet  on  the  same  day  declared  ^^"g^^^^jjl^^® 
in  the  name  of  Jehovah:  "I  am  about  to  overturn  thel»shedon 
existing  world-powers  and  to  break  their  military  strength  (2 :  20-23) 


Haggai  2  :  21  Messages  of  the 

by  means  of  the  widespread  insurrections  which  even  now 
are  convulsing  the  Persian  empire  ;  and  when  that  general 
overturning  comes,  and  I  establish  my  kingdom  on  earth, 
you,  O  Zerubbabel,  my  servant,  will  stand  in  a  peculiarly 
intimate  relation  to  me,  and  will  be  the  earthly  represen- 
tative of  my  authority." 


ZECHARIAH  S   VISIONS     OF    COMFORT     AND     PROMISE 

(i  :  7  to  6  :  8) 

I.   The  Prophet's   Use  of   the    Vision    as  a   Form   of 
Teaehing 

In  verses  i  -6  of  the  first  and  in  the  seventh  and  eighth 
chapters  of  his  prophecy  Zechariah  deals  directly  with 
vital  questions  which  concerned  the  Judean  community. 
His  language  is  remarkable  for  its  simplicity,  and  contains 
no  obscure  or  complicated  figures.  It  is  noticeable  that 
in  these  chapters  he  quotes  most  frequently  from  the  pre- 
exilic  prophets.  In  fact,  he  does  little  more  than  reapply 
their  teachings  to  the  peculiar  problems  of  his  day.  It 
would  seem  that  he  had  in  these  passages  caught  their 
habit  of  simple,  forcible  address. 

In  the  remaining  sections,  however,  in  which  he  pre- 
sents his  distinctive  messages  to  his  readers,  his  style  is 
entirely  different.  The  language  and  figures  which  he 
212 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah 

employs  suggest  that  he  was  striving  to  make  the  truth 
more  impressive  by  employing  an  elaborate  symbolism. 
The  constant,  almost  excessive  use  of  the  phrase  "  thus 
saith  Jehovah  of  hosts  "  or  "  the  word  of  Jehovah  of  hosts 
came  unto  me,"  which  characterizes  the  sermons  of  Haggai 
and  Zechariah,  perhaps  indicates  that  they  were  conscious 
that  their  hearers  and  readers  no  longer  received  the 
prophetic  message  with  the  childlike  faith  of  earlier  days. 
Four  times  also  in  his  brief  prophecy  Zechariah  pauses  to 
assert  that,  when  his  predictions  come  true,  his  audience 
"  will  know  that  Jehovah  of  hosts  had  sent  him  to  them  " 
(2  :  9^  u^;  4  :  9^ ;  6  :  15^).  Educated  in  the  distant  ex- 
ile, where  Israel's  teachers  were  far  removed  from  national 
problems,  where  they  were  obliged  to  reconstruct  with 
their  imagination  the  life  of  the  past  and  of  the  future,  and 
where  they  had  unlimited  leisure  for  dreaming,  it  was  nat- 
ural that  Zechariah  should  use  the  apocalyptic  form  of 
teaching.  Like  Ezekiel  he  was  by  birth  a  priest,  and  so 
from  his  infancy  was  taught  to  represent  the  real  and  spir- 
itual by  symbols.  This  fact  alone  undoubtedly  goes  far 
to  explain  why  it  was  that  these  two  prophets  were  so  fond 
of  the  vision  as  a  form  of  teaching,  while  their  contempo- 
raries, the  author  of  Isaiah  40-55  and  Haggai,  never  em- 
ployed it.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  growth  of  apocalyptic 
literature  was  closely  related  to  the  corresponding  devel- 
opment of  legalism  which  characterized  the  exilic  and 
post-exilic  periods.  The  former  represented  the  spirit  of 
213 


Zechariah  Messages  of  the 

legalism  carried  over  into  prophecy.  Both  movements 
were  the  results  of  the  dominant  influences  of  the  age,  and 
both  were  popular  with  the  people.  Amos  recognized  the 
value  of  the  picture  method  of  teaching,  for  in  the  closing 
chapters  of  his  prophecy  he  reiterates,  by  means  of  a  series 
of  graphic  visions  or  word-paintings,  the  same  truths  that 
he  had  presented  in  his  oral  addresses.  With  the  masses 
pictures  are  always  the  most  profitable  and  accepted  form 
of  presenting  truth.  To  many  modern  readers  the  apoc- 
alyptic literature  seems  cumbersome,  mechanical,  and 
often  grotesque,  but  by  the  Jews,  in  the  post-exilic  period, 
it  was  highly  esteemed.  It  aroused  their  curiosity,  and  so 
commanded  their  attention  ;  it  appealed  powerfully  to  their 
imagination,  and  at  the  same  time  compelled  them  to  think 
in  order  to  interpret  its  inner  meaning.  Its  indefiniteness 
commended  it  to  the  prophets  as  a  medium  for  prediction, 
for  it  enabled  them  to  create  a  desired  impression  without 
committing  themselves  to  details  respecting  which  they 
themselves  were  ignorant.  During  the  centuries  when  the 
Jews  were  ruled  by  the  Persians  and  Greeks,  it  enabled 
the  prophets  at  many  critical  moments  in  their  history  to 
impart  to  their  audiences  messages  which,  if  expressed  in 
plain  language,  might  have  compromised  them  in  the  eyes 
of  their  foreign  rulers. 

Although,  as  a  result  of  this  peculiar  training  and  type 
of  mind,  the  divine  messages  which  came  to  Zechariah  may 
from  the  first  have  been  clad  in  apocalyptic  form,  yet  his 
214 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah 

visions  or  word-pictures  bear  the  evidence  on  their  face  of 
conscious  elaboration.  Like  Ezekiel,  he  draws  his  motives 
and  coloring  from  the  life  of  his  age.  The  figure  of  the 
smiths  was  a  familiar  one,  which  had  already  been  em- 
ployed by  Ezekiel  (21:31).  The  angelic  horsemen  and 
chariots  were  suggested  by  the  military  organizations  of 
the  Persian  empire ;  the  symbolism  of  the  golden  candle- 
stick was  taken  directly  from  the  temple. 

The  belief  in  angelic  beings  was  not  new  to  the  Hebrew 
and  Semitic  thought,  but  in  the  apocalyptic  literature  it 
suddenly  became  very  prominent.  Contact  with  the  Per- 
sians, who  had  a  highly  developed  system  of  angelology, 
may  partially  explain  the  fact.  The  thought  that  Jehovah 
had  temporarily  withdrawn  from  his  sanctuary  and  people 
also  took  firm  possession  of  the  minds  of  the  Jews  during 
the  exile,  and  finds  frequent  reflection  in  the  sermons  of 
Ezekiel  and  Zechariah.  The  result  was  that  even  the 
prophets  lost  the  old  sense  of  his  immediate  presence,  and 
consequently  felt  the  need  of  angelic  messengers  or  inter- 
preters to  communicate  between  them  and  the  Deity. 

In  the  visions  of  Zechariah,  Satan,  or  the  Adversary, 
the  heavenly  being  whose  duty  it  was  to  test  men  and  to 
report  their  shortcomings  to  Jehovah,  is  mentioned  for  the 
first  time  in  Hebrew  literature.  Already  his  functions 
and  general  attitude  are  well  known,  which  suggests  that 
the  belief,  which  is  dimly  reflected  in  the  vision  of  Micaiah 
ben  Imlah,  who  prophesied  in  the  presence  of  King  Ahab 
215 


Zechariah  Messages  of  the 

(i  Kgs.  22  :  19-23),  had  taken  definite  form  in  the  popular 
mind  during  the  intervening  centuries.  The  maHcious 
zeal  in  leading  men  into  sin,  which  was  attributed  to  the 
Adversary  by  later  ages,  is  also  foreshadowed  in  this  book. 
When  the  fundamental  teaching  of  Zechariah's  complex 
visions  is  reached  it  is  found,  like  that  of  his  other  writ- 
ings, to  be  remarkably  broad,  simple,  and  spiritual.  Al- 
though frequently  passed  by  because  of  their  obscure 
symbolism,  the  first  eight  chapters  (which  alone  come 
from  the  present  prophet)  are  exceedingly  valuable  both 
from  an  historical  and  religious  point  of  view.  The  eight 
visions  contained  in  these  chapters  are  dated  in  February 
of  the  year  519  B.  C,  which  appears  to  have  been  the 
exact  time  when  Darius  succeeded  in  turning  back  the  first 
great  wave  of  rebellion  that  had  swept  over  the  Persian 
empire  as  soon  as  he  attempted  to  mount  the  throne  of 
Cyrus.  To  the  Jews  the  news  of  the  victories  of  Darius 
seemed  the  blighting  of  all  the  fond  hopes  of  national 
independence,  which  they  had  cherished  and  which  the 
prophet  Haggai  had  encouraged.  By  his  symbolic  pic- 
tures Zechariah  sought  to  inspire  them  with  higher  and 
more  spiritual  hopes. 

2.    The  First  Vision — The  Report  of  the  Angelic  Horse- 
men (i  :  8-17) 

As  I  meditated  in  the  calm  and  quiet  of  the  night  upon 
the  future  of  Jerusalem  and  Judah,  I   seemed  to  see  the 
216 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  i  :  i8 

angelic  messengers,  whom  Jehovah  had  sent  out,  coming  The  report 
in  from  every  quarter  of  the  earth  ;  and  they  brought  the  had'beeirre- 
report  that  the  revokitions,  which   had   inspired   in    the  ^hrough,''''^ 


hout 


mmds  of  us  all  eager  hopes  of  national  exaltation,  had  *,^e  whole 

,  11     1  111-  •     I-       1  ,  ,  •      Persian  em- 

been  quelled  and  that  the  entire  civilized  world  was  again  pire 

*         (i  :  8-11) 

inactive. 

To  the  natural  question.  How  much  longer  will  the  in- Jehovah's 
habitants  of  Jerusalem  and  Judah,  whom   Jehovah   has  to  exalt  and 
already  for  sixty-seven  years  given  over  to  be  the  victims  holy  city 
of  heathen  conquerors,  be  thus  punished  for  their  sins  ?  ^"^jP^"p!^ 
came  the  encouraging  reply  from  Jehovah  :  "  I  have  never 
ceased   to   love   and   cherish   my  people,   and   now   the 
tyranny   of   their  arrogant   oppressors   has   aroused  my 
righteous   indignation,  for  the   punishment   which   they 
have  inflicted  has  been  far  greater  than  I  desired — there- 
fore I  will  return  to  deliver  and  pardon  Jerusalem.     The 
temple,  the  symbol  of  my  abiding  presence  in  your  midst, 
shall  again  be  built  and  the  sacred  city  restored.     Pro- 
claim abroad  that  this  land  shall  again  be  prosperous,  the 
present  sadness  of  its  inhabitants  turned  to  joy,  and  Jeru- 
salem, once  rejected,  shall  be  the  especial  object  of  my 
favor." 

3.    The   Secottd    Vision — The   Destroyers   of   the  Four 
Horns  (i  :  18-21) 

Again  I  saw  in  imagination  four  horns,  which  were 
the  symbols  of  the  mighty  nations  which   from   different 
217 


Zechariah  i  :  20 


Messages  of  the 


The  destruc- sides  have  attacked  and  scattered  the  people  of  Judah.  In 
the  foes  of  the  same  connection  I  saw  four  smiths,  who  symbolized 
ileopiT*^  ^  ^he  mighty  powers  which  Jehovah  was  soon  to  raise  up  to 
(1 :  18-21)      break  the  strength  of  Judah's  destroyers. 

4.    The   Third  Vision — A  Picture   of  Restored  ferusa- 
km  (2) 


Jerusalem 
yet  to  be 
populous, 
prosperous, 
and  protect- 
ed by  Jeho- 
vah 
(2  :  1-5) 


Exhortation 
to  the  Jews 
in  Babylon 
to  return  to 
Jerusalem 
(2  :  6-9) 


As  I  meditated  upon  the  complaints  of  the  people  be- 
cause Jerusalem  was  poverty-stricken,  possessed  of  but 
few  inhabitants  and  not  provided  with  walls  to  protect  it 
from  its  assailants,  there  arose  before  my  mind  a  vision 
of  a  young  man  going  forth  to  measure  the  city  with  a 
view  to  rebuilding  it  on  its  old  lines,  thus  symbolizing  the 
narrow,  material  ambitions  which  now  fill  and  embitter 
the  hearts  of  its  citizens.  As  I  watched,  Jehovah's  mes- 
sage came  to  me  through  his  interpreting  angel :  "  The 
Jerusalem  of  the  future  shall  not  be  confined  within  nar- 
row walls  as  of  old,  but  like  a  huge  village  shall  extend  far 
out  into  the  surrounding  country.  No  walls  of  stone  will 
be  required,  for  Jehovah  himself  will  guard  it  with  his 
invincible  might  from  all  hostile  attacks,  and  his  abiding 
presence  within  will  be  the  true  source  of  its  exaltation 
and  renown." 

Listen,  exiles  of  the  Jewish  race  in  the  distant  lands  of 

the  captivity.    Although  Jehovah  has  scattered  you  to  the 

four  corners  of  the  earth,  he  now  summons  you  to  escape 

from  Babylon  and  return  to  participate  in  the  restoration 

218 


Lalcr  Prophets  Zechariah  2  :  13 

of  Jerusalem.  He  announces  — and  the  fulfilment  of  the 
prediction  will  bring  honor  to  me  his  projDhet — that  he  is 
about  to  overthrow  the  nations  which  prey  upon  you,  for- 
getting that  in  wronging  you  they  are  injuring  Jehovah's 
most  cherished  treasure.  When  you  see  your  oppressors 
the  prey  of  those  who  now  serve  them,  you  will  know 
that  Jehovah  has  revealed  to  me  that  which  I  now  pro-  The  future 

1    •  T  If  1-1  r  gluiy  which 

claim.     Instead  of  complaints  because  of  your  woes,  let  a  Jehovah  will 
glad  song  of  rejoicing  be  upon  your  lips,  O  citizens  of  Je-  Jll'safem  "'^' 
rusalem ;  for  Jehovah  is  returning  to  dwell  in  your  midst.  ^^"  ^°''3) 
Instead  of  being  alone  among  the  nations,  in  the  days  that 
are  coming  many  shall  unite   with  you  in  worshipping 
him.     When  you  have  the  evidence  of  your  eyes  that  he 
has  redeemed  his  promise  to  abide  in  your  midst,  then  you 
will   believe  my  prophetic  word.     Then  will  Jehovah  re- 
store to  his  people  the  holy  soil  of  Judah  and  make  Jeru- 
salem the  centre  of  his  worship  and  the  chosen  place  of 
his  abode.     Let  all  mankind  be  hushed  in  silence,  for  the 
Lord  of  the  universe  is  about  to  enter  again  into  his  re- 
stored and  reconsecrated  temple. 

5.    The  Fourth    Vision — The    Vindication  of  the  Cofn- 

juunity  and  Re-establishnient  of  the  Priesthood 

and  Nation  (3) 

As    I    listened    to    the    complaints  and    doubts  of   the 
people  because  misfortunes,  which  they  regarded  as  con- 
clusive evidence  that  they  were  guilty  in  the  eye  of  Jeho- 
219 


Zechariah  3  :  i 


Messages  of  the 


The  misfort- 
unes of  the 
community 
not  an  evi- 
dence of  its 
guilt 
(3  :  1-2) 


Reconsecra- 
tion  of  the 
priesthood 
(3  :  3-5) 


Promise  of 
the  Messi- 
anic King 
and  King- 
dom 
(3  :  6-10) 


vah,  still  rested  heavily  upon  them,  I  saw  in  imagination 
Joshua,  the  religious  representative  of  the  community, 
standing  for  trial  before  Jehovah's  tribunal  with  the  Ac- 
cuser at  his  side  accusing '  him.  Then  Jehovah,  as  the 
champion  of  his  people,  condemned  the  Accuser  because 
he  had  interpreted  their  misfortunes  as  evidence  of  their 
sin,  ignoring  the  fact  that  the  Judean  community  was  made 
up  of  the  few  survivors  of  the  great  disaster  which  had 
overtaken  the  nation,  and  that  their  misfortunes  were  only 
the  inevitable  consequences  of  that  overwhelming  calamity 
which  had  left  an  indelible  impression  upon  them. 

Joshua  was  clad  in  foul  garments,  which  symbolized 
the  sins  of  the  past  and  the  incomplete  and  unclean  ser- 
vice, which  alone  had  been  possible  while  the  temple  lay 
in  ruins.  At  the  command  of  Jehovah's  messenger  he 
was  clothed  with  clean  instead  of  foul  garments,  and  was 
assured  that  the  guilt  of  the  past  had  been  removed.  A 
clean  turban  was  also  placed  upon  his  head,  as  an  emblem 
of  his  high-priestly  office,  and  he  was  told  that,  if  he 
faithfully  discharged  his  duties,  he  should  direct  the  ser- 
vice of  Jehovah's  temple  and  be  received  whenever  he 
brought,  as  the  religious  head  of  the  community,  peti- 
tions to  Jehovah  in  its  behalf.  Furthermore,  the  assur- 
ance was  given  him  that  he  and  those  who  participated 
with  him  in  the  service  of  the  restored  temple  should  be 

*  The  same  root  "  Satan  "  appears  in  both  the  Hebrew  words  for  the  Ad- 
versary or  Accuser  and  in  the  verb. 

220 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  4  :  4 

an  earnest  of  the  greater  national  restoration  in  which  Je- 
hovah would  at  last  fulfil  his  promises,  given  through 
earlier  prophets,'  by  raising  up  an  offspring  of  the  royal 
house  of  David  "  to  reign  as  king  over  his  people,  to  deal 
wisely  and  to  execute  judgment  and  justice  in  the  land." 
Behold  also  the  stone,  with  its  seven  facets,  which  shall 
be  in  the  royal  crown  !  Upon  its  face  I  will  engrave  the 
name  of  my  chosen  servant,  the  son  of  David  (ZerubbabeP). 
When  he  is  established  on  the  throne,  all  evidence  of  the 
nation's  guilt  will  be  removed,  for  prosperity  shall  take 
the  place  of  present  misfortunes.  Then  will  be  inaugu- 
rated that  blessed  era  of  peace  and  plenty  of  which  the 
earlier  prophets  sang.^ 

6.   The  Fifth  Vision — The  Temple  Candlestick  and  its 
Sources  of  Supply  (4) 

As  I  meditated  upon  the   relations   between  the  high  The  two  in- 
priest  and  the  king,  whom  Jehovah  was  about  to  raise  S^of  the  ' 
up,  and  upon  their  role  in  the  life  of  the  restored  commu-  '^^^^2^^^'^ 
nity,  I  was  led  to  see  with  my  inspired  vision  a  seven-  ^o^-h) 
lamped  golden  candlestick.     This  was  fed  by  seven  pipes 
leading  from  a  reservoir  which  was  supplied  in  turn  di- 
rectly from  two  olive  trees  standing  on  either  side.     Not 
understanding  the  full  meaning  of  these  symbols,  the  ex- 

>  Jer.  23  :  5;   3-,  :  15-17:  Ezek.  34  :  23-31;  37  :  24. 
'  Compare  Hag.  2  :  23  :  Zech.  6  :  1014  (restored  text), 
3  Compare  for  example  Micah  4  :  4. 
221 


Zechariah  4  :  lob  Messages  of  the 

planation  was  given  me  :'  The  seven  lamps  represent  the 
omniscient,  omnipotent  God  of  the  universe,  and  the  sym- 
bolism as  a  whole,  like  the  temple,  represents  his  presence 
among  his  people.  The  olive  trees,  the  sources  of  the 
supply  of  oil,  represent  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua,  the  re- 
spective heads  of  the  monarchy  and  priesthood,  the  two 
national  institutions  which  support  the  temple  and  its  ser- 
vice, and  who,  in  turn,  stand  before  Jehovah,  and,  hke  the 
olive  trees,  derive  from  him  their  life  and  power. 
A  special  Jehovah  also  gives  this  promise  to  Zerubbabel :  "  Not 

message  of 

encourage-  by  your  owu  Strength  nor  energy,  but  by  means  of  my 
l^bbabd  ^  omnipotent  power,  you  shall  succeed  in  the  great  work 
(4  :  6b-ioa)  ^yj^j(,]^  yQy  ^^vc  undertaken.  Do  the  obstacles  seem  un- 
surmountable  ?  Before  Zerubbabel  they  shall  entirely 
melt  away.  He  shall  put  on  the  top-stone  of  the  temple, 
while  the  assembled  multitude  joyfully  praise  the  beauty 
of  the  completed  structure."  Zerubbabel's  hands  laid  the 
foundation  of  this  temple,  and  I  have  Jehovah's  assurance 
that  his  hands  shall  complete  it.  When  that  is  done,  O 
doubting  people,  you  will  believe  in  my  God-given  mes- 
sage. Then  those  of  you  who  sneered  at  our  limited  re- 
sources, when  we  began  the  seemingly  impossible  task  of 
building,  will  rejoice  with  us  all  to  see  the  finished  struc- 
ture. 

'  Since  the  special  message  to  Zerubbabel  in  verses  6»>-io»  interrupts  the 
logical  sequence  in  the  thought  of  the  passage,  it  is  introduced  in  the  para- 
phrase at  the  end  of  the  section. 

222 


Later  Prophets  Zcchariah  5:11 

7.    The  Sixth  Vision — The  Winged  Volume  (5  :  1-4) 
Again  I  beheld,  flying  through  the  air,  a  huge  volume  The  curse  of 
which  represented  the  curse  which  was  about  to  fall  upon  o'niy  up'^on 
the  land  of  Judah  because  of  the  sin  of  the  thieves  and  [5^  ^^'.'^J^'' 
perjurers  in  its  midst.     But  henceforth,  Jehovah  declares, 
"  the  consequences  of  their  guilt  shall  rest,  not  upon  the 
community  as  a  whole,  but  upon  the  sinners  themselves, 
destroying  their  homes  and  driving  them  from  the  land." 

8.  The    Seventh    Vision    —     The    Woman    ivithiti    the 

Ephah  (5:5-11) 
Still  again  in  my  mental  vision   I  saw  a  great  bushel- The  removal 
measure.  When  the  cover  was  removed  I  beheld  a  woman  temptation 
sitting  within,  who  symbolically  represented  the  power  of  f^d  ^^^ 
sin  and  temptation.     Soon  she  was  shut  up  in  the  bushel-  (s :  5-") 
measure  and  borne  away  through  the  air  by  superhuman 
beings  to  the  land  of  Babylon,  there  to  find  her  true  home 
among   that    corrupt    and    avaricious    nation  of  traders. 
Thus  Jehovah  in  his  mercy  will  remove,  not  only  the  con- 
sequences, but  also  the  causes  of  sin  from  the  midst  of  his 
people,  who  are  now  showing  their  loyalty  to  him  by  re- 
building his  temple. 

9.  The   Eighth    Vision    —   The    War-Chariots   of  Je- 

hoi'ah  (6  :  1-8) 

In  my  last,  as  in  my  first,  vision,  my  thought  went  be- 
yond the  boundaries  of  Judah,  and- 1  considered  the  future 
223 


Zechariah  6  :  i  Messages  of  the 

Jehovah's  relations  between  the  Jews  and  the  great  Gentile  nations. 
rUe"over^  Again  I  saw  different  colored  horses  going  forth  in  all 
the  nations    (directions  :  but   this  time  they   drew   war   chariots,  and 

(o :  i-bj  '  •' 

those  who  went  out  toward  the  north,  toward  Persia,  ex- 
ecuted Jehovah's  vengeance  upon  that  great  conquering 
power,  indicating  that  he  is  soon  going  to  overthrow  the 
mighty  nation  which  now  holds  the  people  in  subjection. 

VI 

THE    SYMBOLIC  RE-ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  HEBREW 
MONARCHY    (  6:  9-I5) 

I.   The  Messianic  Hopes  Centring  Upon  the  Prince  of 
the  House  of  David. 

It  was  but  natural  that  the  Jews  should  hope  that  they 
might  be  able  to  make  Zerubbabel,  who  was  their  gover- 
nor and  the  legitimate  heir  to  the  royal  house  of  Judah, 
their  king  as  well.  Until  Darius  reorganized  the  empire, 
after  putting  down  his  rivals,  the  policy  of  the  Persians 
had  been  to  place  native  princes  over  the  peoples  subject 
to  them.  The  revolutions  in  the  empire,  the  successful 
beginning  of  the  temple-building,  and  the  presence  of  a 
deputation  from  Babylon,  bringing  gifts  from  the  Jews  in 
the  east,  all  encouraged  the  Jewish  community  in  Pales- 
tine to  believe  that  the  opportune  time  had  arrived,  and 
that  the  promises  of  the  earlier  prophets  that  an  offspring 
224 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah 

of  the  house  of  David  would  again  reign  gloriously  on  the 
throne  of  Judah  were  on  the  point  of  being  fulfilled. 

The  prophecies  of  the  great  prophet  of  the  exile  had 
raised  their  hopes  to  a  white  heat.  Haggai  and  Zechariah 
also  shared  the  general  expectation.  Both  addressed 
Zerubbabel  in  language  which,  it  is  true,  was  somewhat 
indefinite,  but  its  purport  was  unmistakable.  Haggai's 
prophecy  that  Jehovah  had  chosen  and  would  make  Ze- 
rubbabel his  signet  (2  :  23)  was  rendered  still  more  definite 
by  Zechariah.  That  he  hoped  and  wished  to  inspire  in  his 
hearers  the  belief  that  during  the  high-priesthood  of 
Joshua  the  prophecies  of  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  respecting 
the  "  branch  "  or  offspring  of  the  Davidic  house,  would 
be  realized  in  Zerubbabel,  is  clear  from  3  :  8-10.  What 
was  there  presented  in  connection  with  a  vision  is  in 
6:9-15  symbolically  represented  by  the  prophet. 

Later  editors  of  the  book,  who  realized  that  Zerubbabel 
was  not  actually  crowned  king,  but  that  instead  the  high- 
priestly  family  absorbed  the  power  once  vested  in  the 
monarchy,  regarding  the  name  of  Zerubbabel  as  a  mistake, 
substituted  that  of  Joshua.  The  text,  even  as  it  stands, 
suggests  the  original  reading.  The  designation  "  branch  " 
or  "shoot"  (6  :  12),  in  the  light  of  its  original  use  in 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  applies  only  to  an  offspring  of 
the  house  of  David.  To  Zerubbabel,  and  to  him  alone, 
was  given  the  promise  that  he  should  complete  the  tem- 
ple (4:9).     According  to  the  reading  of  the  Septuagint 

225 


Zechariah  6  ;  9  Messages  of  the 

the  priest  was  to  sit,  not  on  the  throne,  but  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  king  (6  :  13'').  The  statement  that 
"  the  counsel  of  peace  shall  be  between  them  both " 
(6  :  13^)  indicates  conclusively  that,  not  only  the  name  of 
the  priest,  but  also  that  of  Zerubbabel,  stood  in  the  orig- 
inal text.  Restoring  this,  the  otherwise  unintelligible 
passage  becomes  very  clear. 

2.    The  Crown  Prepared  for  the  Head  of  Zerubbabel 
(6:9.15) 

The  prepa-       xhc  divinc  command  came  to  me  to  take  some  of  the 

ration  and 

conferring     silvcr  and  gold,  which  had  been  brought  by  the  deputa- 
(6 :  9-11)  ^^^  tion  of  Jews  who  had  returned  from  Babylon,  and  make 
therewith  a  crown  '  and  place  it  on  the  head  of  Zerubba- 
bel, the  rightful  heir  to  the  throne  of  David.     I  was  also 
Its  signifi-     impelled  to  declare  :  "  Behold  the  man  in  whom  shall  be 
(6:12-15)      realized  the  promise  of  earlier   prophets  respecting  the 
'  shoot '  from  the   house   of   David  !      He   shall   be   the 
founder  of  a  prosperous  dynasty.     He  shall  build  Jeho- 
vah's sanctuary.     He  shall  exercise  royal  authority  and 
reign  on  the  throne  of  Jehovah.     At  his  right  hand,  sup- 
porting  and   co-operating   with   him,  shall  ever  be   the 
priestly  house  of  Joshua.     In  perfect  harmony  shall  they 
together  further  the  best  interests  of  the  nation.     Let  the 

1  The  Hebrew  plural  evidently  is  not  to  be  translated  "crowns,"  for  in 
verse  14  it  is  followed  by  a  singular  verb,  but  refers  to  the  many  bands  out 
of  which  it  was  made. 

226 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  6:15 

Jews  who  have  returned  from  the  dispersion  lay  up  within 
the  temple,  until  the  opportune  time  comes  to  place  it  on 
the  head  of  Zerubbabel,  the  crown  which  has  been  made 
from  the  silver  and  gold,  sent  as  a  gift  from  the  Jews  in 
distant  Babylon.  Soon  these  also  will  return  and  join  in 
rebuilding  the  temple  and  thereby  confirm  my  prophetic 
words.  If  you  will  give  heed  to  the  commands  of  Jeho- 
vah, he  will  redeem  his  promise  to  you.* 

VII 

zechariah's    practical  exhortation  and  en- 
couraging  PROMISES  (7,  8) 

I.    The  Judean  Conimiinity  at  the  Close  of  ^18  B.  C. 

The  two  years  that  intervened  between  the  publishing 
of  the  visions  recorded  in  1-6  and  the  brief  addresses  in  7 
and  8  of  Zechariah's  prophecy  brought  only  a  partial  ful- 
fillment of  the  earlier  hopes.  The  quotation  in  Ezra  5 
and  6  from  an  old  Aramaic  document  states  that  after  the 
work  on  the  temple  had  progressed  so  far  that  the  timbers 
were  being  placed  on  the  foundation,  the  Persian  satrap  of 
the  trans-Euphrates  province,  to  which  the  sub-province 
of  Judah  belonged,  visited  Jerusalem  and  demanded  the 
reason  for  the  unwonted  activity  of  the  Jews.       They 

>  The  last  part  of  the  sentence  has  been  lost.  It  is  here  supplied  by  con- 
jecture. 

227 


Zechariah  Messages  of  the 

appealed  to  the  permission  granted  them  by  an  earlier 
decree  of  Cyrus  to  rebuild  their  sanctuary.  Without  stop- 
ping the  work,  the  satrap,  at  their  suggestion,  referred  the 
matter  to  the  central  government,  and  the  claim  of  the 
Jews  was  supported  by  the  discovery  of  the  decree  of 
Cyrus,  so  that  the  building  went  steadily  on,  until  in 
516  B.  C,  as  Zechariah  had  predicted,  the  temple  was 
completed. 

There  is  no  evidence  that  the  crown  which  was  to  be 
prepared  for  Zerubbabel  ever  rested  upon  his  head.  The 
insinuation  of  Nehemiah's  foes  :  "  It  is  reported  among 
the  nations  that  you  and  the  Jews  plan  to  rebel ;  and  you 
would  be  their  kingo  And  you  have  also  appointed 
prophets  to  preach  of  you  at  Jerusalem,  saying,  There  is  a 
king  in  Judah  "  (Neh.  6  :  J^),  may  have  been  suggested  by 
events  in  the  days  of  Zechariah,  seventy-five  years  before. 
There  is,  however,  no  direct  evidence  to  support  the  theo- 
ries of  a  recent  writer,  who  claims  that  Zerubbabel  was 
actually  made  king  and  paid  for  this  passing  honor  by 
dying  the  death  of  a  martyr  {StWm- Seri(bbabel,  1898). 
Neither  Haggai  nor  Zechariah  urged  the  people  to  raise 
their  governor  to  the  kingship,  but  only  proclaimed  that  the 
matter  was  in  the  hands  of  Jehovah.  It  was  for  this  rea- 
son that  they  scanned  the  distant  political  horizon  with 
such  keen  interest.  The  calm  tone  of  the  later  sermons 
of  Zechariah,  chapters  6  and  7,  and  the  fact  that  the 
Jews  were  allowed  to  complete  their  temple  are  rather 
228 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah 

conclusive  proofs  that  no  great  upheaval  came  to  the  com- 
munity before  516  B.  C.  By  that  time  Darius  had  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  down  all  of  the  mighty  revolutions 
which  had  first  aroused  the  hopes  of  the  Jews,  so  that 
there  was  no  longer  the  slightest  encouragement  to  rebel. 

If  the  earlier  political  ambitions  of  the  Jews  became 
public,  Zerubbabel  was  probably  removed  from  the  gov- 
ernorship soon  after  the  visit  of  the  Persian  satrap,  whose 
suspicion  had  evidently  been  aroused.  If  not,  then  the 
Jewish  prince  may  well  have  been  set  aside  in  connection 
with  the  general  reorganization  of  the  empire  by  Darius  in 
which  Persian  officials  were  substituted  for  native  rulers. 
Thus,  without  receiving  any  notice  in  Jewish  literature, 
the  house  of  David  disappeared  forever  from  public  life. 

In  518  B.  C,  when  Zechariah  delivered  his  closing  ad- 
dresses, the  temple  building  had  so  far  progressed  that  a 
form  of  service  had  been  instituted.  Large  numbers  had 
not  yet  been  returned  from  the  lands  of  the  dispersion, 
and  the  privations  and  constant  petty  warfare,  to  which 
those  who  had  remained  behind  had  been  subjected,  had 
made  it  impossible  for  men  to  live  to  a  ripe  old  age,  or  for 
them  to  develop  large  families  (8  14,  5)  ;  but  notwith- 
standing all  these  discouragements,  there  were  indications 
of  progress.  Jerusalem  was  no  longer  abandoned,  as  in 
the  years  immediately  following  586  B.  C.  This  raised  the 
practical  question  whether  the  fasts  observed  by  the  rem- 
nants of  the  Israelites  and  Judeans  in  Palestine — that  of 
229 


Zechariah  7  :  i  Messages  of  the 

the  fourth  month,  commemorating  the  capture  of  Jerusa- 
lem by  Nebuchadrezzar  (Jer.  39  :  2  ;  52  :  6,  7) ;  that  of  the 
seventh,  in  remembrance  of  the  murder  of  GedaHah  (Jer. 
41  ;  2  Kings  25  :  25)  ;  that  of  the  tenth,  in  which  Nebu- 
chadrezzar began  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  (Jer.  39  :  i  ; 
2  Kings  25:1);  and  especially  that  of  the  fifth  month, 
which  commemorated  the  burning  of  the  temple  and  city 
(Jer.  52  :  12-14)— should  still  be  observed.  The  question 
was  naturally  referred  to  Zechariah,  since  he  was  both 
priest  and  prophet.  In  answering  it,  he  improved  the  op- 
portunity to  enforce  upon  the  minds  of  Judean  and  Samar- 
itan communities,  which  during  this  early  period  wor- 
shipped together  at  Jerusalem  (Jer.  41  :  5  ;  Zech.  8  :  13), 
certain  most  salutary  and  fundamental  prophetic  truths. 

2.    The  Mistakes  of  the  Past  and  the  Glorious  Possibil- 
ities Awaiting  fehovah's  People  (7,  8) 

}^^°^^\  «^|-      When  a  deputation  came  from  the  town  of  Bethel  to 

raands  deeds  ^, 

of  kindness  consult  the  priests  and  prophets  of  the  temple  as  to 
not  cTremo-  whether  or  not  they  should  continue  to  fast  and  lament  in 
the  fifth  month  over  the  destruction  of  the  city  and  sanc- 
tuary, I  was  inspired  thus  to  deliver  this  address  to  the 
people  and  priests  of  the  land :  "  What  has  been  the  real 
motive  which  has  led  you  to  fast  during  the  past  seventy 
years }  Has  it  been  to  worship  Jehovah  or  to  give  ex- 
pression to  your  own  selfish  feelings  ?  What  is  it  also  that 
makes  you  so  punctilious  in  observing  all  religious  fasts 

2.-^0 


nialism 
(7  :  1-14) 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  8  :  3 

and  ceremonies  ?  Is  it  not  because  you  enjoy  the  eating 
and  drinking  and  the  formal  ritual  ?  Recall  the  teachings 
of  the  earlier  prophets  like  Amos  and  Isaiah,  who  proph- 
esied in  the  days  when  this  land  was  at  peace  and  inhab- 
ited, and  before  southern  Judah  and  the  plain  lying  on  the 
coast  had  been  seized  by  our  hated  foes,  the  Edomites. 
Through'  them  Jehovah  commanded  our  fathers  to  give  just 
decisions  in  the  courts,  to  do  deeds  of  kindness  and  mercy 
to  one  another  and  not  to  wrong  the  helpless,  but  instead 
to  cherish  true  love  and  charity  in  their  hearts.  You 
know  how  they  defiantly,  persistently  refused  to  heed  the 
plain  teachings  of  his  prophets,  until  he  was  compelled 
to  punish  their  rebellion  against  him  by  an  overwhelming 
judgment.  Desolation  of  their  land,  slaughter,  and  exile 
came  simply  because  they  would  not  listen  to  his  com- 
mands. Will  you  follow  in  their  footsteps,  or,  profiting 
by  their  awful  example,  will  you  worship  him  by  your 
righteous  deeds,  as  well  as  by  your  fasts  and  sacrifices  ? 

Although  in  the  past  Jehovah  made  Jerusalem  a  ruin,  What  Jeho 
he  now  proclaims  :  "  The  city  where  my  temple  stands  is  posef  "o  do 
the  object  of  my  love  and  my  watchful,  zealous  care.  Woe  fem"^^'^"^^" 
to  those  who  attack  it.     Again  have  I  taken  up  my  abode  ^^  •  ^'^^ 
in  its  midst.      Sanctified  by  my  presence,  Isaiah's  pre- 
diction shall  now  be  realized  (Isa.  i  :  26),  and  it  shall  be 
a  city  where  truth  and   fidelity  are  the  ruling  principles. 

'  Verse  8  is  omitted,  since  it  obviously  is  a  later  interpolation,  and  adds 
aothing  to  the  thought  of  the  passage. 
231 


Zechariah  8  :  4  Messages  of  the 

Again  its  unoccupied  spaces  shall  be  filled  up.  Its  former 
peace  and  prosperity  shall  return,  so  that  men  and  women 
shall  live  to  a  ripe,  contented  old  age,  and  its  half-deserted 
streets  shall  again  swarm  with  happy  children.  Do  these 
predictions  seem  impossible  of  fulfilment  to  you  who  have 
been  left  behind,  you  who  have  endured  hardships  far 
worse  than  exile  ?  Remember  that  nothing  is  impossible 
to  the  omnipotent  God  who  guarantees  their  realization. 
The  coming      "  The  first  Step  toward  their  fulfilment  will  be  a  general 

return  of  ...  i  •,  t-  i  i- 

the  exiles      restoration   of    the   scattered   exiles.       r  rom   the   distant 
■  ^'   ^        lands  of  the  dispersion  I  will  bring  them  back,  to  people 
Jerusalem,  their  true  home.     Then  at  last   I  shall  again 
have  a  people  toward  whom  I  shall  stand  in  a  personal  and 
peculiarly  intimate  relation. 
Blessings  to      '<  f^g  couragcous  and  hopeful.    Note  the  progress  which 
place  of        has  already  been  made  in  the  two  years  since  the  founda- 
Snel,"irthr  tion  of  the  temple  was  laid.     Then  all  your  enterprises 
f5°hfur°^^  were  fruitless.     You  were  constantly  attacked   by  your 
(8:  9-17)       ever-present  foes,  and,  worst  of  all,  contention  and  mutual 
suspicion  within  your  ranks  made  life  almost  unendurable. 
Now  your  condition   is   radically   changed.     Now  these 
remnants  of  a  nation  are  united  in  the  accomplishment  of 
a  noble  purpose,  and  as  a  result  the  fruits  of  peace  instead 
of  discord  are  beginning  to  appear.    Your  vines  and  fields 
are  also  beginning  to  bear  abundantly.     Soon,  instead  of 
making  you  objects  of  scorn  and  contempt  among  the  na- 
tions, O  survivors  of  the  Northern  Israelites  and  Judeans,  I 
2^2 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  8  :  23 

will  prosper  and  exalt  you,  so  that  all  shall  highly  esteem 
you.  Be  not  daunted  by  present  obstacles.  Be  brave, 
be  hopeful,  be  faithful,  for  instead  of  devising  judgment 
against  you,  as  I  did  against  your  disobedient,  unrepent- 
ant fathers,  I  have  in  store  for  Jerusalem  and  Judah  rich 
blessings,  if  you  will  only  prove  worthy.  Do  not  lose  con- 
fidence. Be  open  and  honest  toward  one  another.  Pro- 
nounce just  decisions  in  your  courts.  Do  not  try  to  wrong 
and  cheat  each  other  ;  do  not  pervert  the  truth  ;  for  such 
sins  as  these  arouse  my  righteous  indignation. 

"  The  time  is  coming  when  these  fast-days,  by  which  The  future 
you  commemorate  the  overthrow  of  your  nation,  shall  be  universality 
celebrated  as  joyful  feasts,  provided  only  you  learn  genu-  ioVof  jeho- 
inely  to  love  honesty,  uprightness,  and  that  kindly  attitude  JJ^^g  ^  . 
toward  each  other  which  will  make  your  civic  life  har- 
monious, strong,  and  healthful.  Then  shall  the  peoples  of 
the  earth,  citizens  of  great  and  opulent  cities,  be  attracted 
by  the  peace  and  beauty  of  Jerusalem.     Sickened  by  the 
corruption  and  contention  with  which  they  daily  come  in 
contact,  they  shall  say.    '  Let  us  go  and  worship  Jehovah 
and  join  ourselves  to  his   people/     Then  shall  strong, 
powerful  nations   come  trooping  to  Jerusalem  to  array 
themselves  under  my  banners.     Instead  of  despising  and 
persecuting  the  Jew,  the  heathen  will  court  him  and  press 
about  him  in  their  eagerness  to  be  led  to  a  knowledge  of 
the  true  dod  of  the  universe." 


233 


ANONYMOUS     REFORM     SERMONS 


ANONYMOUS  REFORM  SERMONS 
I 

CONDITIONS    WITHIN    THE    JUDEAN    COMMUNITY  BE- 
FORE   THE    INSTITUTION    OF    THE    PRIESTLY 
LAW    OF    EZRA 

The  completion  of  the  second  temple  in  516  B.  C.  gave 
a  centre  and  a  habitat  to  the  religion  of  the  Jews,  but  it 
did  not  mark,  as  they  had  hoped,  the  beginning  of  the  re- 
alization of  their  political  expectations.  The  next  seventy 
years  are  passed  over  by  the  Jewish  historians  with  a 
silence  that  is  ominous.  Had  the  prophets  failed  to  give 
us  vivid  pictures  of  conditions  within  the  Judean  commu- 
nity, even  then  it  would  be  possible,  with  our  knowledge 
of  the  character  of  the  Judean  colony  in  520  B.  C. ,  to  re- 
construct the  probable  course  of  events.  The  firm  re-es- 
tablishment of  the  Persian  empire  by  Darius  quietly  but 
effectively  blighted  the  aspirations  of  the  Jews  for  political 
independence.  It  preserved  them  from  complete  destruc- 
tion at  the  hands  of  their  hostile  neighbors,  but  at  the  same 
time  condemned  them  to  a  narrow,  petty  existence. 
Henceforth  they  were  only  one  of  the  many  units  which 

237 


Malachi  Messages  of  the 

together  made  up  the  great  empire.  Their  political  re- 
sponsibilities were  reduced  to  supporting  the  Persian  gov- 
ernor who  was  set  over  them,  and  to  paying  their  allotted 
tribute.  No  great  crisis,  no  great  opportunity,  no  great 
need,  called  forth  deeds  of  self-sacrifice  or  patriotism. 
Their  contact  with  their  neighbors  was  close  and  always 
galling.  Upon  them  the  Ammonites,  and  Edomites,  and 
Arabians  vented  the  bitter  hatred  which  was  the  prod- 
uct of  centuries  of  hostility  and  wrong.  Whereas  in 
earlier  times  the  Judeans  usually  had  been  the  masters, 
now  they  were  the  victims.  Deprived  by  the  Edomites  of 
the  southern  half  of  the  territory  once  held  by  their  ances- 
tors, the  Jews  were  confined  to  a  few  square  miles  of 
barren  hills  and  narrow  valleys,  from  which  they  were  able 
to  extract  only  a  meagre  subsistence.  Grinding  poverty 
pressed  to  earth  men  whose  minds  were  filled  with  dreams 
of  prosperity  and  wealth  and  world-wide  dominion. 

It  was  inevitable  that  a  dangerous  reaction  should  come. 
Years  grew  into  decades,  and  the  outlook  only  grew 
darker.  Expectations  disappointed  became  doubts,  and 
hopes  long  deferred  made  the  heart  sick.  A  state  of 
apathy,  new  to  the  Jewish  character,  took  possession  of 
all  classes.  The  leaders  of  the  community  ignored  their 
duty  and  devoted  themselves  simply  to  gratifying  their 
own  selfish  ends.  Their  ambitions  became  mercenary, 
and  they  did  not  hesitate  to  employ  base  means  to  realize 
them.     Even  the  priests  set  the  example  before  the  people 

238 


Later  PropJicts  Malachi 

of  despising  the  temple  and  its  service,  and  of  neglecting 
the  sacrifices. 

Scepticism  for  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  race 
found  open  expression.  People  asked,  "  What  gain  is 
there  in  serving  God  faithfully  ?  "  Those  who  sacrificed 
most  and  who  were  the  most  loyal  worshippers  of  Jehovah 
were  the  poorer  and  more  unfortunate  members  of  the  com- 
munity. Their  very  misfortunes  seemed,  according  to  the 
mistaken  thought  of  the  age,  evidence  either  that  Jehovah 
did  not  care  for  his  servants  or  else  that  they  were  secretly 
at  fault.  Comparative  prosperity  came  to  those  who  spent 
none  of  their  substance  on  sacrifices,  who  defrauded  their 
neighbors  whenever  they  had  a  chance,  and  used  their 
authority  to  increase  their  wealth.  The  faith  of  the 
Judean  community — never  very  strong — was  being  sorely 
shaken.  They  began  to  ask  whether  or  not  the  prophets' 
teaching  about  Jehovah's  especial  favor  toward  his  people 
was  not  all  a  fiction.  The  very  foundations  of  morality 
and  religion  were  beginning  to  give  way.  It  was  a  crit- 
ical moment  in  the  faith  of  Judaism  and  of  mankind. 

Influenced  by  the  desire  to  ally  themselves  with  their 
powerful  neighbors,  who  otherwise  would  be  very  un- 
pleasant foes,  the  leading  priestly  and  noble  families  were 
beginning  to  marry  heathen  wives.  If  necessary  they  did 
not  hesitate  to  put  away  their  native  Jewish  wives.  Thus 
the  purity  and  integrity  of  the  Jewish  race  in  Palestine,  its 
natural  stronghold,  were  seriously  threatened.     The  Jews 

239 


Malachi  Messages  of  the 

were  in  danger  of  being  absorbed  by  the  larger  and  far 
more  powerful  heathen  or  half-heathen  communities  about 
them.  The  peril  was  all  the  greater  because  the  leaders 
did  not  recognize  its  true  character.  The  moral  and  relig- 
ious deterioration  had  been  so  gradual,  and  was  such  a 
natural  result  of  the  environment  and  narrowing  influences 
to  which  the  survivors  of  the  Jewish  race  in  Palestine  had 
been  subjected,  that  few  appreciated  it.  At  the  same  time 
it  was  so  great  and  dangerous  that  it  is  not  strange  that 
the  enlightened  prophets  who  noted  it  with  horror  felt 
that  a  special  divine  intervention  and  judgment  would  be 
necessary  to  purify  and  transform  the  community. 

The  faithful  preaching  of  the  prophets  under  divine 
guidance  prepared  the  way  for  reform  ;  while  from  the 
Jews  in  the  East  were  destined  soon  to  come  men  and  in- 
fluences which  would  complete  the  noble  work,  first  of 
material  development,  and  then  of  moral  and  spiritual 
evolution. 

II 

THE    MESSAGE    OF    THE    BOOK    OF    MALACHI 
I.    The  Date  and  Authorship  of  the  Prophecy 
That  the  undated  Book  of  Malachi  comes  from  the  dis- 
couraging, degenerate  period  following  the  rebuilding  of 
the  temple   is  obvious  from   its   contents.      The   sacred 
structure  has  been  standing  for  some  years,  for  the  priest- 
240 


Later  Prop/lets  Malachi 

hood  has  had  time  to  grow  corrupt  and  careless.  The 
popular  scepticism,  of  which  there  was  little  trace  in  the 
sermons  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  has  attained  an  alarm- 
ing development.  Foreign  marriages  have  become  com- 
mon, and  ample  opportunities  have  been  given  to  observe 
their  dire  consequences.  Traces  of  class  distinctions  be- 
gin to  appear  within  the  Judean  community.  The  poor 
and  faithful  are  forced  to  bow  before  the  rich  and  arro- 
gant. The  evils  which  the  prophet  attacks  are  those 
which  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  devoted  themselves  to  correct- 
ing (Ezra  9,  12  ;  Neh.  5,  13).  There  are  no  suggestions, 
however,  that  the  work  of  these  great  reformers  had  as 
yet  begun.  Scepticism  and  vice  are  triumphant.  The 
prophet  looks  to  the  future  for  the  messenger  of  reform, 
the  second  Elijah. 

The  Book  of  Deuteronomy,  which  was  adopted  as  the 
law  book  of  the  nation  in  the  days  of  Josiah,  and  not  the 
expanded  Priestly  Code  introduced  by  Ezra,  is  still,  as  in 
the  days  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  the  standard  legal 
authority.  The  prophet,  for  example,  knows  nothing  of 
the  later  distinction  between  the  sons  of  Aaron  and  the 
Levites  ;  but,  like  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy,  classifies  all 
of  the  priests  as  the  sons  of  Levi.  He  also  uses  the  ex- 
pressions, not  of  the  Priestly  Code,  but  of  the  earlier  law 
book.'    As  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy  provided,  questions 

>  Compare  Mai.  3  :  5  with  Deut.  5  :  11-33  :  18  :  10;  24  :  17;  Mai.  4  :  4 
with  Deut.  5  :  31 ;   12  :  i;  26  :  16. 

.        241 


Malachi  Messages  of  the 


not  decided  by  it  were  referred  to  the  priests  for  an  official 
decision,  wfiich  was  regarded  as  autlioritative  (Mai.  2  :  7). 
The  law  therefore  which  Ezra  later  instituted  was  still  in 
the  process  of  development. 

There  is  also  no  suggestion  that  the  party  of  the  right- 
eous had  yet  found  a  strong  champion  in  Nehemiah.  The 
joy  and  hope  which  filled  the  hearts  of  the  Jews  after  they 
had  rebuilt  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  in  445  B.  C.  find  no  re- 
flection in  the  book.  The  reference  in  i  :  8  to  the  custom 
of  bringing  gifts  to  their  Persian  governor  also  points  to  a 
period  before  Nehemiah  was  appointed  over  them,  for  he 
distinctly  states  that  he  accepted  no  such  presents  (Neh. 
5  :  14-18).  Thus  all  the  internal  evidence  indicates  that 
the  little  book  was  written  during  the  dark  years  imme- 
diately preceding  the  new  era  in  Jewish  history  inaugu- 
rated by  Nehemiah  in  445  B.  C. 

Like  the  other  prophecies  written  at  this  time,  when 
"  the  wicked  "  within  the  community  were  in  the  ascend- 
ency, it  appears  to  have  been  issued  anonymously.  The 
directness  with  which  the  sins  of  the  leaders,  priests,  and 
people  are  attacked  suggests  the  reason.  The  title  "  Mal- 
achi," my  messenger,  which  appears  in  the  present  super- 
scriptions was  probably  taken  from  3:1,  where  it  appears 
in  the  prophecy,  "Behold,  I  send  my  messenger."  It  is 
never  used  elsewhere  as  a  proper  name.  The  oldest  ver- 
sions do  not  treat  it  as  such.  The  Septuagint  reads: 
"  By  the  hand  of  his  messenger."  The  absence  of  any 
242       • 


Later  PropJicts  Malachi 

statement  in  the  superscription  respecting  the  father  or 
place  of  residence  of  the  prophet  confirms  the  conclusion 
that  it  was  originally  anonymous. 

The  peculiar  title,  "  Burden  of  the  Word  of  Jehovah," 
is  found  elsewhere  only  in  the  superscriptions  of  the 
anonymous  appendices  to  the  Book  of  Zechariah  (9:1; 
12  :  I).  Since  the  present  prophecy,  as  it  stands,  is  really 
a  third  appendix  to  the  same  book,  it  is  exceedingly  prob- 
able that  the  three  titles  all  came  from  the  hand  of  some 
later  editor. 

The  character  of  the  author  is  revealed  in  his  message. 
His  carefully  wrought  out,  argumentative  style  indicates 
that  the  prophecy  was  first  written,  not  spoken.  In  his 
spirit  and  aim  he  was  a  worthy  successor  of  the  earlier 
prophets.  Like  them  he  addresses  himself  directly  to  the 
problems  which  concern  the  community.  It  is  because 
they  are  so  sordid  and  petty  that  the  prophet  does  not  at- 
tain to  the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  certain  of  the  pre- 
exilic  prophets  who  were  dealing  with  far  greater  ques- 
tions. 

In  his  simplicity  and  directness  he  resembles  Haggai. 
The  apocalyptic  form  of  expression  appears,  however,  in 
4  :  1-3.  His  surprisingly  generous  estimate  of  the  religion 
of  the  heathen  (1:11,  14)  suggests  an  intimate  familiarity 
with  Persian  thought ;  for  the  degenerate  cults  in  vogue 
among  the  heathen  in  Palestine  were  not  of  such  a  char- 
acter as  to  impress  favorably  a  faithful  prophet  of  Jeho- 

243 


Malachi  i  :  2  Messages  of  the 

vah.  The  thought  of  Jehovah's  sending  a  messenger  to 
his  people  in  Palestine,  which  finds  frequent  expression  in 
the  book ;  the  ancient  title  of  the  prophecy,  "  By  the  hand 
of  his  messenger,"  preserved  in  the  Septuagint ;  and  the 
tradition  found  in  the  Targum  of  Jonathan  to  the  effect 
that  Ezra,  the  scribe,  was  that  messenger — all  suggest,  not 
that  the  prophet  was  Ezra  himself,  but  a  faithful  Jew  who 
was  educated  amidst  the  more  favorable  religious  influ- 
ences of  the  East  and  who  subsequently  returned  to 
Judah.  The  horror  which  conditions  there  aroused  in 
him  is  the  same  as  that  which  they  evoked  later  from 
Nehemiah  and  Ezra.  Whether  born  in  Judah  or  in  the 
East,  the  author  of  this  brief  prophecy  was  certainly  one 
of  the  most  important  of  pioneers,  who,  by  their  faithful, 
patient  efforts,  prepared  the  way  for  the  restoration  and 
the  birth  of  the  true  Israel. 

2.    The  Evidence   of  fehovaJis    Love  and  his  People s 
Shameftd Ingratitude  (i  :  2  to  2  :  16) 

The  fate  of       Do  you  complaiu,  O  Jews,  that  Jehovah  gives  you  no 

foes'^evt^      evidence  of  his  love  and  care  for  you  ?     He  declares  that 

^spSr/love  his  love  toward  you  has  never  ceased.     Of  that  fact  you 

^eo^ll  have  proof  at  hand,  if  you  will  only  open  your  eyes.  Com- 

(i :  2-5)        pare  your  history  with  that  of  your  brother  nation,  Edom. 

Jehovah,  after  disciplining  you,  has  given   you   back  a 

portion  of  your  land ;  but  the  defiant,  lawless  attitude  of 

the  Edomites  has  evoked  only  his  just  vengeance.     Their 

244 


Later  PropJicts  Malachi  i  :  8 

native  mountains  are  desolate,  and  the  land  which  their 
race  has  occupied  for  centuries  has  been  seized  by  the 
Arabians,  Vain  are  their  hopes  of  re-establishing  them- 
selves in  their  lost  territory.  Try  as  they  may,  Jehovah 
declares  that  he  will  thwart  their  purpose.  Their  true 
character  shall  also  be  generally  recognized,  and  they 
shall  be  famous  among  the  nations  for  their  deeds  of  law- 
lessness. The  calamities  which  shall  overtake  them 
shall  be  conclusive  evidence  to  every  observer  that  they 
are  the  objects  of  his  righteous  judgments.  You  your- 
selves shall  behold  and  be  convinced  that  Jehovah's  author- 
ity and  rule  extend  far  beyond  the  limits  of  Palestine. 

What  return  have  you  made  for  the  favors  which  the  Their  base 
Almighty  bestowed  upon  you  ?     Have  you  shown  toward  his  love 
him  that  deep,  filial  reverence  which  alone  is  befitting  your  ^* '  ^"*^ 
peculiar  relation?  Instead, you, who  minister  at  his  sanct- 
uary  and    stand   as   examples    before  the    people,    have 
openly  shown  your  contempt  for  his  holy  character  and 
claims.     Do  you  ask  "  How  ?  "     By  sacrificing  unclean 
offerings  upon  his  altar  and  by  saying  to  yourselves,  "  It 
makes  no  real  difference  whether  or   not  in  the  temple 
service  we  faithfully  observe  the  ceremonial  laws."     You 
practically  declare  that  anything  is  good  enough  for  Jeho- 
vah, for  you  say  that  it  matters  not  if  the  animals  which 
you   sacrifice    are  blind  or   lame   or   sick.      Would  you 
take  such  gifts  as  these  to  your  Persian  governor,  and 
would  you  with  them  hope  to  win  his  favor  ?     Do  you 

245 


Malachi  i  :  9  Messages  of  the 

think  for  one  moment  that  with  these  you  are  honoring 
Jehovah  and  that  you  can  in  this  way  secure  his  forgive- 
ness and  blessing  ?  Far  better  would  it  be  to  shut  up  the 
temple  and  make  an  end  altogether  of  the  sacrificial  ser- 
vice, than  to  keep  up  this  disgraceful  mockery.  It  only 
arouses  Jehovah's  displeasure.  He  accepts  none  of  your 
polluted  offerings.  The  heathen  serve  him  far  more  ac- 
ceptably. Throughout  the  entire  world  he  is  honored, 
and  in  every  holy  spot,  where  men  worship,  incense  rises 
and  sacrifices  are  presented  to  him.  These  are  far  purer 
than  your  polluted  offerings,  for  they  are  given  in  the 
true  spirit  of  worship,  while  you  regard  the  temple  service 
as  merely  a  wearisome,  meaningless  form.  Let  no  one 
expect  to  win  Jehovah's  favor  by  offering  to  liim  animals 
unfit  for  private  use.  Rather  a  curse  upon  the  man  who 
tries  to  cheat  God  by  bringing  to  him  a  despicable  beast  in 
payment  of  a  vow.  Jehovah  is  not,  as  you  seem  to  think, 
the  petty  god  of  an  insignificant  people,  but  an  omnipo- 
tent, exalted  King,  before  whom  the  great  heathen  nations 
bow  in  humble  reverence. 
The  sad  de-       Hear,  O  priests,  the  solemn  charge  which  Jehovah  gives 

generacy  of  '        *^  '  o  j  o 

the  priest-  you  *.  "  If  you  do  not  Worthily  represent  me,  as  you  have 
(2 :  1-9)  solemnly  covenanted  to  do,  I  will  send  disaster  upon  you, 
and  you  shall  be  deprived  of  the  special  prerogatives 
which  you  now  enjoy.  Indeed,  the  judgment  has  already 
begun,  for  you  give  no  evidence  of  repentance.  You  shall 
suffer  the  consequences  of  your  neglect  to  observe  the 
246 


Later  Prophets  Malachi  2  :  9 

laws  of  cleanliness  in  performing  my  sacrifices.  Know 
that  I  have  sent  you  this  solemn  warning,  because  of  my 
ancient  covenant  with  your  tribe.  According  to  that 
sacred  contract,  I  agreed  to  give  you  life,  peace,  and 
prosperity.  In  turn  I  commanded  you  as  a  class  to  rev- 
erence me  ;  your  ancestors  did  so,  humbly  and  whole- 
heartedly. Truthfully  they  revealed  my  will  to  the  people 
without  deceit  or  selfish  intention  to  mislead.  In  complete 
harmony  with  my  divine  purpose  and  faithfully,  they  dis- 
charged their  duties ;  and  in  so  doing  they  saved  many 
from  committing  acts  of  sin.  The  priests  should  be  edu- 
cated, enlightened  teachers,  for  to  them  the  people  turn 
for  instruction  and  to  ascertain  my  will,  since  they  are 
recognized  as  my  inspired  interpreters.  You,  alas,  have 
utterly  failed  to  realize  the  ideal  of  the  priesthood.  In- 
stead of  doing  as  you  solemnly  covenanted,  you  have  led 
the  people  into  rather  than  from  evil  doing.  When  they 
came  to  you  for  an  inspired  decision  in  regard  to  a  doubt- 
ful question,  not  answered  in  the  written  law,  you  mis- 
used the  authority  of  your  high  office  to  mislead  and  de- 
ceive them.  Thus  you  have  forfeited  your  commission. 
You  have  yourselves  broken  the  covenant  between  us,  so 
that  it  only  remains  for  me  to  punish  you  like  common 
criminals.  Your  crimes  shall  prove  your  undoing.  In- 
stead of  enjoying  the  honor  of  the  people,  you  shall  be 
the  objects  of  their  contempt.  In  proportion  as  you  have 
failed  to  perform  your  duties  and  have  been  influenced  by 
247 


Malachi  2  :  10  Messages  of  the 

personal  motives  in  giving  official  decision,  shall  you  be 
publicly  humiliated. 
The  cruel  Since  we  are  sons  of  a  common  Father  and  Creator, 
quences  of  and  therefore  all  brothers,  v^hy  do  we  disregard  the  ties  of 
fhema^i^fag?  blood,  SO  that  wc  dcccive  and  wrong  one  another  in  order 
Y^^\  6')  ^°  gratify  our  own  selfish  desires  ?  [The  members  of  this 
community  have  proved  traitors  to  each  other  and  have 
acted  disgracefully  and  have  polluted  the  holiness  of  Je- 
hovah's sanctuary  by  marrying  women  from  the  heathen 
nations  about.  May  Jehovah  drive  from  the  community 
and  from  participation  in  his  worship  any  one  who  is 
guilty  of  this  sin,  and  may  no  one  be  found  to  plead  the 
cause  of  the  offender].*  You  cause  Jehovah's  altar  to  be 
wet  with  tears  of  supplicants  demanding  vengeance,  so  that 
all  of  your  religious  service  is  hateful — mere  hypocrisy — 
in  his  eyes.  Do  you  ask  "  How  ?  "  and  "  Why  ?  "  It  is 
because,  in  order  to  gratify  your  base  ambitions  and  pas- 
sions, you  divorce  without  cause  your  rightful  wives,  with 
whom  you  have  solemnly  covenanted  and  with  whom  you 
have  since  childhood  lived  in  the  closest  relations,  that 

1  Verses  ii  and  12  break  the  logical  connection  between  verses  10  and 
13b.  Their  language  and  thought  are  entirely  different  from  those  of  the 
rest  of  the  section.  The  thought  in  verse  10  is  somewhat  indefinite.  Verses 
II  and  12  may  well  have  been  originally  an  explanatory  note,  added  by  the 
prophet  or  by  a  later  editor  who  lived  after  the  radical  reformation  of  Nehe- 
miah  and  Ezra,  which  was  in  time  introduced  into  the  text.  As  it  suggests, 
the  practice  of  divorcing  native  wives  was  probably  the  result  of  marrying 
heathen  women. 

248 


Later  Prophets  Malachi  3  :  3 

you  may  introduce  into  the  sanctity  of  your  home  women 
of  ahen  faith  and  alien  blood.  Did  not  the  same  God 
create  and  care  for  both  you  and  the  wife  who  has  jour- 
neyed with  you  from  your  youth  ?  And  to  what  end  ?  It 
was  that  through  you  he  might  rear  up  a  godlike  race, 
uncontaminated  with  degenerate  blood — a  race  which 
would  perform  his  will.'  As  you  value  your  very  life  be 
not  faithless  to  the  wife  who  has  the  first  claim  to  your 
fidelity.  Divorce,  and  the  cruelty  to  the  wife  which  is  its 
inevitable  consequence,  are  most  heinous  crimes  in  the 
eyes  of  Jehovah.  As  you  value  your  very  life  be  not  faith- 
less. 

3.   The  Judgment  which  Jehovah  will  Speedily  Institute 
(2  :  17  to  4  :  6) 

Jehovah  is  tired  of  hearing  you  complain  that  he  shows  The  cry  of 
especial  favor  to  evil-doers,  and  that  he  never  punishes  win  be\n-" 
vice  nor  rewards  virtue.     He  declares  that  he  will  speed-  the  a'p^pe^^r- 
ily  send  his  messenger  to  prepare  for  the  great  judgment,  ^"^ovih  t 
and  then  he  himself,  the  great  judge  for  whom  you  are  judge  his 
longing,  will  suddenly  appear  in  your  midst  to  set  up  his  fa^^^i;  to  3 : 
divine  tribunal.     How  many  of  you  will  then  be  found  ^^ 
free  from  sin  ?     For  Jehovah's  judgment  is  like  fire,  and 
nothing  but  absolute  purity  will  endure  it.     All  that  is  im- 
pure must  be  burned  out.     These   corrupt   priests   and 

•  The  text  of  the  first  part  of  verse  15  is  uncertain.     The  paraphrase  is 
based  upon  the  most  probable  reading. 

249 


Malachi  3  :  4 


Messages  of  the 


Pardon  to 
those  who 
show  their 
repentance 
by  deeds 
>3  :  6-i2) 


Levites  must  first  be  cleansed,  and  then  they  will  be  fitted 
to  minister  at  his  holy  altar.  Then  will  the  offerings  of 
his  people  again  as  of  old  be  acceptable  to  Jehovah.  In  his 
time  of  judgment  he  will  also  condemn  the  representa- 
tives in  your  midst  of  the  old  heathen  cults,  those  who 
sin  against  the  laws  of  social  morality,  those  who  pervert 
the  truth  and  defraud  others  dependent  upon  them,  those 
who  wrong  the  helpless,  and  those  who  defy  God  himself. 

This  judgment  is  necessary,  not  because  Jehovah's 
character  or  laws  have  changed,  but  because  from  the 
earliest  days  of  your  history  you  have  failed  to  obey  his 
commands.  Come  back  to  him  in  the  attitude  of  true  re- 
pentance, ready  to  do  his  will,  and  he  will  grant  you  full 
forgiveness.  Do  you  ask  how  you  are  to  show  your  re- 
pentance.'* Cease  robbing  Jehovah  and  forthwith  bring  in 
the  tithes  and  offerings  for  the  support  of  his  temple  and 
Its  ministers.  Since  your  crops  are  smaller  than  usual,  do 
not  make  the  mistake  of  withholding  from  Jehovah.  Bring 
all  his  just  dues  into  the  temple-treasury  and  see  whether 
he  will  not  make  your  fields  and  vines  richly  fruitful 
and  stay  the  destructive  advance  of  the  locusts.  Then, 
instead  of  living  under  the  shadow  of  suspicion,  engen- 
dered by  misfortune,  you  will  be  the  envy  of  all  peoples, 
because  of  the  peace  and  prosperity  which  shall  be  yours. 

You  are  unjust  to  Jehovah  when  you  declare  that  there 
is  no  advantage  in  serving  him  and  that  all  your  fidelity 
in  keeping  his  commands  has  been  in  vain.  *'  We  are 
250 


Later  Prophets  Malachi  4  :  5 

forced  to  bow  down  before  the  arrogant  sinners,  who,  for-  Thevindica- 
tified  with  their  wealth  and  influence,  defy  Jehovah  with  faithful  in 
impunity,"  is  the  secret  wail  of  the  faithful.  But  the  -JldgmTit^ 
Lord  has  heeded  their  cry  and  has  caused  a  record  to  be  (3=  »^  to 
made  of  their  fidelity.  He  also  proclaims  that  in  the  day 
when  he  arises  to  judge  mankind,  he  will  guard  and  pre- 
serve them  as  his  own  peculiar  treasure,  and  will  show 
them  special  favor,  as  a  father  to  a  devoted  son.  Then, 
O  doubting  ones,  you  will  plainly  recognize  the  advantage 
of  doing  what  is  right  and  of  serving  Jehovah,  though  no 
immediate  rewards  appear.  Indeed,  the  great  day  of 
Jehovah's  judgment  is  coming.  Then  shall  these  arrogant, 
seemingly  prosperous  sinners  be  consumed  completely, 
like  straw  in  a  huge  furnace.  Then  to  you,  who  have  been 
faithful  to  Jehovah  through  this  long  night  of  discourage- 
ment and  affliction,  release  and  vindication  shall  come 
like  the  rising  sun  which  brings  light  and  freedom  and 
new  life  to  the  awakened  world.  Then  joy  inexpressible 
shall  fill  your  hearts.  Then,  instead  of  being  obliged  to 
congratulate  the  wicked  over  their  prosperity,  you  shall 
find  that  they  are  but  as  dust  beneath  your  feet. 

If  vou  desire  to  be  reckoned  with  the  faithful  in  Jeho-  A  funda- 

1-11.     mental  re- 

vah's  great  judgment,  carefully  observe  the  laws  which  he  form  will 
gave  through  his  servant  Moses  to  his  people.     To  pre-  UveTthe' 
pare  you  for  that  supreme  moment  of  testing,  the  Lord  is  ^^^'JIJ^J^''^ 
about  to  send  to  you  a  prophet  with  the  uncompromising  struction 
zeal  and  courage  of  Elijah,  the  first  great  prophet  of  re- 


Malachi  4  :  6  Messages  of  the 

form.  He  will  bring  harmony  and  unity  into  your  family 
and  civil  life,  where  now  there  is  only  wrangling  and  divi- 
sion and  treachery.  Thus  he  will  deliver  you  from  an- 
other overwhelming  destruction  at  the  hand  of  Jehovah. 


Ill 

MESSAGES   OF    DENUNCIATION     AND     EXHORTATION 
(iSAIAH    56  TO  59) 

I.    The  Date  and  Authorship  of  Isaiah  56  to  59 

When  we  pass  from  the  fifty-fifth  to  the  fifty-sixth  chap- 
ters of  Isaiah  we  are  at  once  reminded  by  a  change  of 
style  and  theme  that  we  have  before  us  the  product  of  a 
different  hand  and  age  from  those  which  produced  the 
glowing  prophecy  preserved  in  Isaiah  40  to  55.  Many 
echoes  of  the  language  and  thought  of  the  exilic  chapters 
are  found  in  the  closing  sections  of  the  book  and  probably 
explain  why  later  editors  appended  them  to  the  writ- 
ings of  the  great  prophet  of  the  exile.  They  certainly 
were  written  by  men  who  had  studied  his  prophecies  and 
caught  his  spirit.  Like  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Mal- 
achi, they  were  in  all  probability  educated  in  Babylonia. 
Their  zeal  for  the  strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and 
their  uncompromising  attitude  toward  the  Samaritans  and 
the  other  peoples  of  Palestine  were  characteristic,  not  of 
252 


Later  PropJicts  Isaiah 

the  Judean  community  itself,  but  of  the  pjous  Jews  of  the 
dispersion,  who,  Uke  Nehemiah  and  Ezra,  returned  to 
Judah.  Their  indignation  against  the  corrupt  leaders  of 
the  Palestinian  community  was  such  as  Nehemiah  felt  in 
the  presence  of  the  same  evils. 

A  reading  of  chapters  56  to  59  suffices  to  show  that 
they  were  primarily  addressed  to  the  Jews  in  Judah,  and 
not  to  those  in  the  exile,  and  that  they  were  written  some 
time  after  520  B.  C,  for  the  temple  evidently  had  long 
been  standing.  The  conditions  and  evils  with  w^hich  the 
unknown  prophet  or  prophets  deal  are  precisely  the  same 
as  those  which  aroused  the  invective  of  the  authors  of 
Malachi  and  of  many  of  the  post-exilic  psalms.  The 
same  misfortunes  are  referred  to  as  having  already  over- 
taken the  community.  The  same  peculiar  hope  that  the 
divine  judge  will  speedily  come  to  Jerusalem  to  punish  the 
wicked  and  vindicate  the  righteous  is  also  expressed 
(59  :  I  5M0). 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  no  evidence  that  the  social 
evils,  which  seem  to  have  been  effectively  eliminated  by 
Nehemiah  in  445  B.  C.  (Neh.  5),  had  yet  been  checked. 
Furthermore,  the  deep  popular  dejection,  which  is  clearly 
the  background  of  these  sermons,  belongs  to  the  period 
before,  rather  than  after,  the  rebuilding  of  the  walls  of  Je- 
rusalem. The  people  still  look  for  those  "  who  will  build 
up  the  ancient  ruins  and  rear  again  the  long-deserted 
foundations  "  (58  :  1 2).  Not  only  has  the  social  and  re- 
253 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

ligious  corruptiqn  of  the  community  reached  its  height, 
but  a  spirit  of  expectancy  is  in  the  air  which  strongly  sug- 
gests that  they  come  from  the  years  immediately  preced- 
ing the  first  appearance  of  Nehemiah. 

The  atmosphere  of  56  :  i-8  is  more  peaceful.  The 
question  whether  or  not  eunuchs  should  be  excluded  from 
the  assembly  of  the  Lord,  as  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy 
commanded,  may  well  have  been  raised  when  Nehemiah 
and  his  associates,  who  were  probably  eunuchs,  returned 
from  the  court  of  Artaxerxes,  and  performed  for  the  Ju- 
dean  community  a  service  which  richly  merited  "  an  ever- 
lasting memorial  and  monument"  (56  :  5). 

As  in  the  pre-exilic  prophecies,  short  sections  may  also 
have  been  added  by  later  editors.  Thus  the  passages  of 
promise  in  57  :  i3''-2i  and  58  :  13,  14,  which  interrupt  the 
logical  sequence  of  the  thought,  and  which  are  charac- 
terized by  a  different  style  from  that  of  the  immediate 
context,  may  well  come  from  a  period  subsequent  to  the 
reforms  of  Nehemiah  and  Ezra. 

The  question  as  to  whether  these  four  chapters  rep- 
resent the  work  of  one  or  several  prophets  is  really  un- 
important. Differences  in  style  and  point  of  view  rather 
favor  the  latter  conclusion.  If  it  be  true,  it  is  interesting 
to  note  that  Nehemiah  and  Ezra,  like  Josiah  in  621  B.  C, 
were  by  no  means  alone,  but  had  the  practical  support  of 
a  group  of  able  and  fearless  prophets  to  prepare  the  way 
and  second  them  in  the  great  reforms  which  otherwise 
254 


Later  PropJicts  Isaiah  57  :  2 

might  never  have  been  reahzed.  It  also  emphasizes  the 
fact,  which  is  often  overlooked,  namely,  that  the  foi-ces 
which  created  Judaism  were  not  merely  legalistic  and 
external,  but  also  deeply  spiritual,  appealing  to  the  hearts 
and  consciences  of  the  people.  The  great  reformation 
which  came  in  time  affected  their  conduct  as  well  as  their 
forms  of  worship. 

2.    The  Selfishness  and  Incapacity  of  the  Leaders  of  the 
Conunufiity  (56  :  9  to  57  :  2) 

Alas  !  the  people  are  the  helpless  prey  of  their  cruel,  The  people 

,  11  •  1       •  •  r  ,      ■     the  victims 

pitiless  foes,  who  attack  them   with    impunity,  for   their  of  the  neg- 
leaders  who  should  guard   them  are  too    lazy   and    too  g^reed"of 
stupid  even  to  raise  the  alarm  when  danger  approaches.  Sotectors'^^' 
They  who  should  protect  prey  upon  the  people,  and  their  (56 :  9-*^) 
greed  is  insatiable.    They  are  intent  only  upon  increasing 
their  own  wealth  and  upon  gratifying  their  own  selfish, 
sensual  appetites,  and   foolishly  think  that  they  can  keep 
up  their  mad  revels  forever. 

Honest  men,  who  faithfully  discharge  their  duties  to  The  fate  of 
God  and  their  fellow-men,  die  miserably  because  of  the  stS-eTo  do 
neglect  and  wrongs  of  those  who  should  champion  their  ^"^'^'^    . 
cause,  and  yet,  so  corrupt  are  the  times  that  no  one  pays 
any  attention  to  these  enormities.      Fortunate  are  they 
who  find  in  death  that  peace  which  is  impossible  in  this 
wrangling  community. 

255 


Isaiah  57  :  3  Messages  of  the 

3.    The  Shameful  Heathen  Practices  of  the  Samaritatis 
(57  :  3-13^) 

Jtdtudrof"^     Come  and  hear  your  condemnation,  half-heathen,  im- 
the  Sama-     moral  people,  scions  of  a  mixed  race !     Do  you,  shame- 

ritans  ,  it-, 

(57 :  3,  4)  less  apostates,  presume  to  make  sport  and  jeer  at  the 
weakness  and  misfortunes  of  the  true  servants  of  Jeho- 
vah ? 

Their  cor-         Consider    your  own   practices.     [Beneath   the   sacred 

rupt  religion  ,  ,  •  i  i  •  i  •   i 

l57 :  5-13")  trees  you  observe  the  ancient  heathen  orgies  which  your 
fathers  learned  from  the  original  inhabitants  of  the  land, 
and  keep  alive  the  hideous  rite  of  sacrificing  helpless 
children  in  order  to  win  the  favor  of  the  old  deities  of 
popular  superstitions.]  Down  in  the  deep  valleys  you 
have  venerated  sacred  stones  and  presented  to  them  your 
offerings  as  though  they  were  divine.  On  the  sacred 
heights,  like  the  Canaanites  of  old,  you  have  committed 
deeds  of  lewdness  under  the  name  of  religion.  Forsak- 
ing Jehovah,  you  have  shown  great  zeal  in  courting  the 
favor  of  heathen  deities.'  Hopeless  though  your  quest 
was,  your  energy  did  not  relax.  Did  you  seek  to  appease 
those  heathen  gods  because  you  were  afraid  of  their  bane- 
ful influence  ?     Was  it  fear  of  them  that  made  you  desert 

*  The  meaning  of  verse  9  is  very  obscure.  If  the  translation  "to  the 
king "  be  adopted  it  would  naturally  refer  to  a  political  embassy  to  the 
Persian  king.  The  Hebrew  word  for  king  is  the  same,  however,  as  the  name 
of  the  Ammonite  god  Molech.  The  above  interpretation  has  been  given 
because  it  agrees  more  perfectly  with  the  thought  of  the  context. 

256 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  58  :  6 

Jehovah  and  his  service  ?  Since  he  did  not  at  once  pun- 
ish your  infidelity,  you  cease  to  reverence  him.  Be  not 
deluded.  Jehovah  will  bring  your  acts  to  judgment. 
Your  disgusting  heathen  rites  will  not  be  your  salvation, 
but  your  destruction.  Instead  of  delivering  you,  the  false 
idols  in  whose  worship  you  are  so  zealous  will  be  among 
the  first  to  be  destroyed. 

4.  False  ajid  True  Worship  (58  :  1-12) 

Let  this  erring  people  hear  Jehovah's  earnest  message  Jehovah  de- 
of  warning.  They  observe  all  the  forms  of  religion  and  not  sacrifice 
appear  eager  to  know  the  divine  will  and  to  do  it.  And  ^^^  "  ^'^^ 
now  they  complain  because  Jehovah  has  given  them  no 
material  evidence  that  he  appreciates  the  devotion  to  him 
which  is  shown  by  their  many  fasts  and  sacrifices.  Would 
you  know  the  real  reason,  O  people  }  Your  fast-days  are 
a  mere  mockery,  for  while  you  are  pretending  to  deny 
yourselves  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  you  are  really  intent 
on  your  own  selfish  interests ;  you  extract  the  last  penny 
due  you  from  your  poverty-stricken  debtors ;  you  quarrel 
with  each  other  and  do  not  hesitate  to  commit  deeds  of 
violence.  Think  not  that  fasting  will  secure  Jehovah's 
favor.  Do  not  call  the  mere  formal  bowing  of  yourselves 
to  earth  in  prayer,  and  the  wearing  of  the  symbols  of 
enduring  self-denial,  a  genuine  fast,  acceptable  to  God. 
The  form  of  fasting  which  alone  is  effective  with  him 
consists  in  championing  the  cause  of  the  oppressed,   in 

257 


Isaiah  58  :  7  Messages  of  the 

securing  justice  and  liberty  for  every  man,  in  sharing 
what  you  have  with  those  who  need,  in  giving  homes  to 
the  homeless,  and  in  never  refusing  those  who  demand 
your  help. 
The  rewards  When  you  observe  your  fasts  by  such  acts  as  these  you 
vice  will  speedily  have  evidence  of  Jehovah's  pleasure.     Pros- 

^^  ■  '^^'  perity  will  come  to  you  instead  of  your  present  misfort- 
unes. Then  will  your  real  moral  worth  be  known  both  to 
yourselves  and  to  the  world ;  and  Jehovah  wnll  give  you 
the  honor  which  you  will  thereby  richly  merit.  Then  will 
he  quickly  respond  to  your  petitions.  If  you  will  cease  to 
oppress  and  despise  and  malign  each  other,  and  devote 
yourselves  to  relieving  want  and  affliction,  Jehovah  will 
grant  you  the  realization  of  your  fondest  hopes.  Strength 
and  prosperity  shall  take  the  place  of  your  present  weak- 
ness and  distress  ;  for  he  will  bestow  upon  you  his  ten- 
derest  care.  Then  these  ruins  and  walls,  long  deserted, 
will  be  repaired,  and  Judah  shall  no  longer  be  famous  for 
its  desolation,  but  for  its  prosperous  cities  and  villages, 
rebuilt  and  restored  by  its  faithful  and  loyal  inhabitants. 

5.   The  Social  Crimes  of  the   Comfmmtty  its  Undoing 
(59:  i-isa) 

The  deep  Think  not  for  a  moment  that  Jehovah's  power  is  not 

the  leaders  sufficient  to  deliver  you,  nor  that  he   cannot  hear  your 

mJility°™"  petitions.     The  fault  is  not  with  him,  but  with  you.    Your 

(59 :  1-8)  sJQs  make  it  impossible  for  him  to  answer  your  prayers. 

^5S 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  59  :  12 

You  sin  not  against  the  ceremonial  law,  but  against  each 
other.  By  unjust  decisions  and  legalized  oppression  you 
shed  the  blood  of  your  brothers.  In  your  dealing  the  one 
with  the  other  you  lie  and  deceive  and  trust  to  falsehood 
to  win  your  selfish  ends.  You  prey  upon  society.  Your 
craftily  devised  plans  are  only  for  the  destruction  of  your 
neighbors.  He  who  opposes  you  will  fall  a  victim  to  your 
treachery  and  desire  for  revenge.  You  who  are  the  rec- 
ognized leaders  of  the  community  contribute  nothing  to 
the  welfare  of  society.  All  your  energ}'  and  intellect  are 
devoted  to  entrapping  and  destroying  your  fellows.  The 
ways  that  make  for  peace  and  which  promote  the  cause 
of  right  are  unknown  to  you.  Injustice  and  anarchy  are 
the  fruits  of  your  life-work. 

Let  us  be  frank  and  confess  our  guilt.     We  have  been  An  appro- 

I  /•  •    1       1         •    1  1  •        priate  con- 

the  prey  of  our  wicked  neighbors  and  have  not  been  vin-  fession  on 
dicated  before  Jehovah's  tribunal  simply  because  our  sins  \y^^  ^^^_ 
rise  up  to  condemn  us.     While  we  hope  for  deliverance,  munity 

•    r  ,       •  T  ,       f  ...       (59  :  9-15") 

our  misfortunes  only  increase.  Instead  of  attaining  in- 
dependence and  a  nobler  national  life,  we  are  groping 
along  under  an  ever-darkening  cloud  of  calamity.  We  do 
nothing  but  loudly  lament  our  hard  fate,  and  look  in  vain 
to  Jehovah  to  deliver  us  from  all  our  woes.  The  cause  of 
all  our  trouble  is  our  own  heinous  guilt.  We  cannot 
shut  our  eyes  to  our  many  transgressions.  We,  who  had 
made  a  solemn  covenant  with  Jehovah,  have  proved 
traitors,  and  have  failed  to  fulfil  his  just  demands.     We 

259 


Isaiah  59  :  13 


Messages  of  the 


Jehovah  to 
champion 
the  op- 
pressed 
(59  :  15"- 


have  perverted  the  truth,  we  have  defeated  the  cause  of 
justice  in  our  public  tribunals,  and  we  have  banished  the 
principles  of  right  so  completely  from  our  social  life  that 
an  honest  and  upright  man  cannot  live  in  our  midst  with- 
out being  the  constant  victim  of  shameful  wrongs. 

6.  Jehovah's  Impending  Judgment  (59  :  15^-21) 

Jehovah  has  seen  the  gross  injustice  which  has  flour- 
ished unrebuked,  and  it  has  aroused  his  righteous  indig- 
s  nation.  With  surprise  he  has  noted  that  no  human 
champion  has  arisen  to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  innocent 
against  their  cruel  oppressors.  Therefore  he  himself  will 
right  the  great  wrong.  Like  an  invincible  warrior  he  will 
come  to  execute  vengeance  upon  those  who  are  hostile  to 
him  and  upon  all  who  thwart  his  righteous  purpose. 
Throughout  the  entire  habitable  earth  his  name  will  be 
known  and  honored.  Those  of  his  people  who  have 
proved  faithful  to  him  through  this  time  of  adversity  and 
general  corruption,  he  will  deliver  and  vindicate  in  the  eyes 
of  the  world.  Jehovah  also  declares  that  then  he  will  make 
a  new  covenant  with  his  faithful  people,  and  that  they  and 
their  descendants  shall  become  for  all  time  the  repositories 
and  guardians  of  his  personal  revelation  to  mankind. 

7.  Promises  to  the  Faithful  (57  :  i3^'-2i  ;  58  :  13,  14) 

They  who  trust  Jehovah  and  are  faithful  to  him  will  yet 
again  possess  as  their  own  the  land  of  their  forefathers. 
260 


Later  Prop] lets  Isaiah  58  :  14 

Let  all  barriers  be  removed  which  now  stand  in  the  way  Peace  and 
of  their  occupation.     Jehovah  the  omnipotent,  holy  Ruler  from  jeho- 
of  the  universe  espouses  the  cause  of  the  meek  and  op-  af/'^-hT'^^ 
pressed.     He  himself  will  personally  comfort  and  inspire  f^^"„"j"^^f^ 
them  with    new  hope  and  joy.     Upon  those  who  have  (57 :  13^-^0 
sinned  he  will  not  always  send  adversity  in  punishment, 
for,  if  he  did,  frail  humanity  would  not  survive  the  judg- 
ment.    For  a  brief  period  he  will  punish  his  guilty  people 
in  order  to  turn  them  from  their  wicked,  defiant  course. 
Then,  when  they  show  signs  of  true  repentance,  he  will 
give  them  peace  and  prosperity,  instead  of  affliction.     Ex- 
pressions of  joy,  instead  of  lamentation,  shall  be  on  their 
lips.     Peace  shall    they  proclaim  to  all  members  of  the 
race,  whether  in  Judah  or  in  the  distant  lands  of  the  dis- 
persion.    The  wicked,  however,  who  persist  in  their  evil 
course,  like  the  ever-heaving  sea,  shall  know  no  restful 
peace,  for  their  vile  deeds  put  them  out  of  all  harmony 
with  God,  with  their  fellow-beings,  and  with  themselves. 

[They  who  regard  the.sanctity  of  the  Sabbath,  who  do  The  reward 

,.,.,.  .  .,         for  faithfully 

not  pursue   their  ordmary  busmess  occupations  on  that  observing 
day,  making  it  a  holy  day  in  fact,  and  who  restrain  their  |^J  J'^^^^f^'J' 
speech,  finding  joy  in  the  observance  of  the  law,  shall  be 
richly  blessed  by  Jehovah  and  shall  be  given  the  land  of 
Judah  as  their  abode  and  possession.] 


261 


Isaiah  56  :  i 


Right  doing 
impartially 
rewarded 
(56  :  I,  2) 


Jehovah's 
religion  for 
all  who  ac- 
cept it 
(56  :  3-8) 


8.  Promises  to  Proselytes  and  Eujtuchs  (56  :  1-8) 

This  is  Jehovah's  message  to  you  :  Faithfully  follow  the 
injunctions  of  the  priestly  law  and  do  what  is  right,  for  he 
will  ere  long  deliver  and  reward  according  to  their  deserts 
all  who  prove  true.  Blessings  are  in  store  for  the  man 
who  walks  uprightly  according  to  his  light,  carefully  pre- 
serving the  sanctity  of  the  Sabbath  and  abstaining  from 
wrong- doing. 

Let  not  the  foreigners  who  have  joined  the  Judean  com- 
munity and  adopted  the  religion  of  Jehovah  fear  that  they 
will  be  excluded  from  the  ranks  of  his  chosen  people ;  nor 
let  the  eunuchs  complain  that  there  is  no  hope  of  their 
name  being  perpetuated,  since  they  can  have  no  offspring. 
If  they  will  faithfully  observe  the  Sabbath  and  discharge 
all  the  obligations  laid  upon  Jehovah's  people  in  the  law, 
God  will  give  them  in  the  temple  itself  a  memorial,  better 
and  more  enduring  than  offspring.  The  foreigners  also 
who  unite  with  the  people  of  Jehovah,  and  who  truly  love 
him  and  faithfully  serve  him  and  keep  his  law,  observing 
the  Sabbath,  shall  be  allowed  to  worship  in  the  temple, 
and  their  sacrifices  shall  be  as  acceptable  as  those  of 
native-born  Jews.  This  is  in  accord  with  Jehovah's  will, 
for  it  is  his  intention  that  his  temple  shall  be  a  common 
sanctuary  for  all  peoples,  and  that  not  only  the  scattered 
Jewish  exiles,  but  also  the  Gentiles,  shall  be  gathered  to 
Jerusalem,  there  to  worship  him. 
262 


PROPHETIC      MESSAGES     OF     EN- 
COURAGEMENT   IN   CONNEC- 
TION  WITH    THE   WORK 
OF  NEHEMIAH  AND 
EZRA 


PROPHETIC  MESSAGES  OF  ENCOURAGE- 
MENT  IN   CONNECTION   WITH    THE 
WORK    OF    NEHEMIAH   AND    EZRA 


THE    HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND    OF   ISAIAH    34  ;    35  ; 

60  :  I  to  63  :  6 ;  65  ;  66 

I.    The  Rebuilding-  of  the  Walls  of  Jertisalejn  and  the 
Institution  of  the  Priestly  Law 

The  earnest  reform  sermons  of  the  unknown  prophets 
who  attacked  so  strongly  the  sins  of  the  community,  and 
who  proclaimed  that  a  messenger  of  the  Lord  would  soon 
appear  in  Zion,  seem  to  have  aroused  some  of  the  Pal- 
estinian Jews  to  action.  Weak  and  surrounded  by  foes, 
they  could  expect  no  help  from  their  neighbors.  Natu- 
rally they  turned  to  the  source  of  all  authority  in  that  age, 
the  great  king  who  ruled  the  Persian  empire. 

Fortunately  for  them  there  was  at  the  court  at  Susa  one 
of  their  race  who  was  cup-bearer  to  the  reigning  Artaxerxes, 
and  so  had  constant  access  to  the  royal  presence.  Fortu- 
nately also  the  youthful  cup-bearer.  Nehemiah,  was  loyal 
265 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

to  his  race  and  religion,  and  gifted  with  both  tact  and  de- 
termination. 

Upon  him  the  deputation  from  Judah,  headed  by  his 
kinsman  Hanani  (Neh.  i  :  2  ;  7:2),  waited,  and  poured 
into  his  sympathetic  ear  their  account  of  the  pitiable  con- 
ditions existing  among  "  the  remnant  who  are  left  of  the 
captivity  there  in  the  province,"  and  of  the  defenceless 
state  of  Jerusalem,  with  its  ruined  walls  and  gates.  Ne- 
hemiah,  who  was  deeply  moved  by  the  recital,  resolved  to 
improve  the  opportunity  which  his  position  gave  him  to 
appeal  to  the  king  for  the  necessary  authority  and  to  de- 
vote himself  to  re-establishing  his  race  securely  in  the  city 
and  land  of  his  fathers. 

Presented  on  a  favorable  occasion,  his  request  met  with 
the  favor  of  the  kind-hearted  Artaxerxes,  so  that  the  royal 
cup-bearer  was  immediately  granted  a  limited  leave  of 
absence,  with  a  commission  as  governor  of  Judah,  and 
was  provided  with  a  military  escort.  Thus  were  procured 
the  royal  permission  and  concessions  without  which  any 
attempt  to  rebuild  the  city  of  Jerusalem  would  have  been 
both  impossible  and  suicidal. 

Although  accompanied  by  certain  other  loyal  Jews  of 
•  the  dispersion  (Neh.  5  :  8,  14),  and  possessed  of  great  per- 
sonal wealth,  which  he  devoted  to  the  cause,  he  found  the 
task  which  he  had  essayed  far  from  easy.  Almost  insur- 
mountable obstacles  confronted  him  both  within  and  with- 
out the  community.  As  the  sermons  of  contemporary 
266 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

prophets  indicate,  its  leaders  were  supremely  selfish,  hold- 
ing the  lands  and  possessions  of  the  poorer  classes  under 
mortgages,  and  their  children  as  slaves  (Neh.  5  :  1-12). 
They  had  also  allied  themselves  by  marriage  to  the  lead- 
ing families  in  the  surrounding  nations — the  Samaritans, 
Ammonites,  Philistines,  and  Arabians.  In  this  practice 
the  high-priestly  family  had  set  the  example  (Neh.  6  :  17- 
19;  13  :4,  28). 

Nehemiah,  being  one  of  the  Jews  of  the  dispersion, 
among  whom  at  this  period  marriage  with  a  foreigner 
was  regarded  with  much  greater  horror  than  among  the 
Jews  in  Palestine,  could  not  look  with  favor  on  any  such 
alliance.  Although  up  to  the  time  of  his  arrival  the 
neighboring  peoples,  and  especially  the  Samaritans,  appear 
to  have  enjoyed  the  right  of  worshipping  at  Jerusalem 
whenever  they  wished,  heat  once  incurred  their  bitter  hos- 
tility and  that  of  their  influential  sympathizers  within  the 
community  by  declaring  that  they  should  "  have  no  por- 
tion, nor  right,  nor  memorial  in  Jerusalem  "  (Neh.  2  :  20^). 

In  the  face,  however,  of  violent  opposition  from  without 
and  of  treachery  within.  Nehemiah,  by  good  generalship, 
and  by  his  own  personal  courage  and  energy,  in  a  sur- 
prisingly short  time  pushed  the  repair  of  the  walls  through 
to  completion. 

To  the  poor,  discouraged  Jews  of  Judah  the  rapid  re- 
building of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  must  have  seemed  a 
miracle.  In  the  time  of  their  greatest  distress  a  powerful 
267 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

champion  had  appeared  from  the  distant  east,  gifted  with 
wealth  and  influence,  to  do  for  them  that  for  which  they 
had  long  prayed,  but  which  they  could  never  have  accom- 
plished alone.  It  was  perfectly  natural  that  they  should 
regard  these  achievements  as  only  the  beginning  of  a  new 
and  glorious  era  of  prosperity. 

In  this  expectation  they  were  not  destined  to  be  entirely 
disappointed.  The  rebuilding  of  the  walls  accomplished 
three  things  very  essential  to  the  restoration  of  the  Jew- 
ish race  in  Palestine.  It  made  Jerusalem,  for  the  first  time 
since  its  destruction  in  586  B.  C,  a  safe  place  of  abode, 
and  therefore  attractive  to  returning  exiles.  Furthermore, 
Nehemiah's  work  aroused  the  gratitude  of  the  Palestinian 
Jews  toward  their  kinsmen  in  the  east  and  so  prepared 
the  way  for  the  fundamental  work  of  reformation  which 
must  be  carried  through  before  the  two  sections  of  the  race 
could  again  unite  and  live  in  harmony.  Finally,  it  revealed 
to  the  more  enlightened  and  more  orthodox  Jews  in  the 
east  the  needs  of  their  brothers,  who  lived  under  the 
shadow  of  the  temple  ;  while  Nehemiah's  example  inspired 
some  of  the  more  zealous  with  a  genuine  patriotic  and 
missionary  spirit,  which  led  them  to  leave  their  homes 
and  to  return  to  Judah  as  apostles  of  the  expanded  law  of 
Moses. 

During  his  second  visit  to  Jerusalem,  in  432  B.  C,  Ne- 
hemiah  himself  carried  on  still  further  the  sweeping  so- 
cial and  religious  reforms  which  he  had  begun  in  445  B.  C. 
268 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

(Neh.  5:13),  and  which  were  the  necessary  preliminaries 
to  the  action  of  the  Great  Assembly  recorded  in  Nehemiah 
10.  He  made  provision  for  the  adequate  and  regular 
support  of  the  Levites  and  temple  ministers,  and  by  the 
efficient  use  of  his  authority  enforced  the  observance  of 
the  Sabbath,  respecting  which  the  Jews  in  the  east  were 
far  more  strict  than  those  in  Judah.  Whereas  in  445  B.  C. 
he  had  tolerated  the  custom  of  intermarrying  with  foreign- 
ers, he  now  set  to  work  energetically  to  remove  the  evil. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  he  demanded,  as  did  the  later 
reformers,  that  all  who  had  married  foreign  wives  put 
them  away.  In  the  case  of  the  masses  he  appears  to  have 
contented  himself  with  impressing  them  with  the  enormity 
of  their  action  and  with  extracting  a  solemn  promise  that 
they  would  not  countenance  the  practice  in  the  future. 
Tobiah,  the  Ammonite,  who  had  married  into  the  family 
of  the  high-priest,  was  excluded  from  the  special  privileges 
which  had  been  given  him  in  connection  with  the  temple, 
and  one  of  the  grandsons  of  Eliashib,  the  high-priest,  was 
driven  from  Jerusalem,  because  he  had  married  a  daughter 
of  Sanballat. 

In  all  probability  the  excluded  priest  was  the  one  for 
whom,  according  to  Josephus,  Sanballat  built  the  rival 
temple  on  Mount  Gerizim.  Obviously,  to  Nehemiah  was 
largely  due  the  schism  between  the  descendants  of  the 
northern  and  southern  Israelites.  Since  the  reformation  of 
Josiah  they  had  worshipped  together  at  Jerusalem,  but 
269 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

henceforth  the  Samaritans  had  "  no  part  and  portion  "  in 
the  service  of  the  Jewish  temple.  The  fact  that  they  had 
formerly  been  united  only  intensified  the  bitterness  of  the 
division.  It  is  not  strange  that  this  feeling  found  expres- 
sion in  certain  of  the  contemporary  prophecies. 

The  late  editor  of  the  Book  of  Ezra-Nehemiah,  or  else  a 
later  copyist,  by  mistake  placed  the  account  of  the  expe- 
dition and  reform  work  of  Ezra  before  that  of  Nehemiah. 
The  evidence,  how^ever,  is  practically  conclusive  that  it 
should  follow  rather  than  precede.  Nehemiah's  reforms, 
for  example,  are  clearly  those  of  a  pioneer,  and  without 
them  Ezra's  success  in  persuading  or  compelling  all  who 
had  married  foreign  wives  to  put  them  away  (Ezra  lo) 
would  have  been  impossible.  In  the  prayer  attributed  to 
Ezra  he  also  seems  to  refer  directly  to  the  service  of  Ne- 
hemiah in  repairing  the  ruined  city  (Ezra  9  :  9).  The  ac- 
count of  the  Great  Assembly  in  Nehemiah  9  and  10,  which 
the  editor  of  Ezra-Nehemiah  places  after  the  report  of  Ne- 
hemiah's work,  also  presupposes  (9  :  2)  that  the  "  separa- 
tion from  strangers  "  recorded  in  Ezra  9  and  10  had  just 
taken  place.  Their  language  and  thought  confirm  the 
conclusion  that  Ezra  7  to  10  and  Nehemiah  7  :  70  to  10  :  39 
originally  formed  part  of  the  same  narrative.  (For  further 
consideration  of  the  evidence  compare  Kent,  "  History  of 
the  Jewish  People,"  pp.  106-110,  192-199.) 

A  restoration  of  the  activity  of  Ezra  to  its  original  his- 
torical position  after  the  work  of  Nehemiah  enables  us  to 
270 


Later  PropJicts  Isaiah 

appreciate  in  their  true  relation  the  forces  which  moulded 
Judaism  and  which  led  to  the  restoration  of  the  "  true 
Israel  "  to  Palestine.  While  Nehemiah's  reform  measures 
established  precedents,  the  principles  which  prompted 
them  had  to  be  embodied  in  a  law  and  adopted  before 
their  permanence  could  be  assured.  This  fact  explains 
the  siy;nificance  of  Ezra's  expedition  and  the  promulgation 
of  the  Priestly  Law  at  the  Great  Assembly.  When  the 
Judean  community  accepted  the  new  code  in  place  of  the 
simpler  law  of  Deuteronomy,  which  had  governed  them 
hitherto,  the  Judaism  which  figures  so  prominently  in  the 
New  Testament  narrative  was  born. 

The  late  editor  of  Ezra-Nehemiah  states  that  the  expe- 
dition of  Ezra  was  in  the  seventh  year  of  Artaxerxes  (Ezra 
7:7,8),  but  does  not  indicate  which  one  it  was  of  the  three 
Persian  monarchs  who  bore  that  name .  Like  the  rest  of  the 
later  Jewish  historians,  he  did  not  distinguish  between  the 
three.  It  may  in  all  probability  have  been  because  he  did 
not  know  that  there  was  more  than  one  Artaxerxes  that  he 
placed  the  account  of  Ezra's  expedition  (in  the  seventh 
year)  before  that  of  Nehemiah's  work  (in  the  twentieth 
year  of  Artaxerxes) .  The  Artaxerxes  under  whom  Ezra 
lived  was  probably  the  second  ruler  of  that  name,  who 
reigned  between  404  and  358  B.  C.,so  that  the  birth  of 
the  "  true  Israel  "  may  with  reasonable  certainty  be  dated 
398-397. 

The  formal  acceptance  of  the  Priestly  Law,  with  its 
271 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

stern  prohibitions  against  affiliation  with  aliens  who  might 
contaminate,  confirmed  the  schism  between  the  Jews  and 
Samaritans.  This  act  in  turn  attracted  to  the  Judean 
community  thousands  of  loyal  Jews,  so  that  there  was  a 
genuine  basis  of  fact  in  the  declaration  of  the  prophet 
that  "  a  nation  was  born  in  a  day."  In  the  years  imme- 
diately following  the  Great  Assembly  the  restoration  of 
the  Jewish  race  was  partially  realized.  Ezra's  expedition 
was  but  one  of  several  which  are  recorded  in  Ezra  2 
(Neh.  7).  For  a  brief  period  the  Jews  witnessed  the  ful- 
filment of  many  of  their  fondest  hopes,  so  that  joy  and 
expectation  took  the  place  of  lamentation. 

2.   The  Date  of  the  hidividual  Prophecies 

In  the  light  of  these  historical  facts,  the  sermons  pre- 
served in  chapters  34  ;  35  ;  60  :  i  to  63  :  6  ;  65  ;  66  of  the 
Book  of  Isaiah  find  their  true  setting  and  interpretation. 
The  language  is  so  general  and  the  historical  references 
so  few  and  indefinite  that,  like  the  psalms  of  the  period, 
which  they  resemble  very  closely  both  in  vocabulary  and 
in  thought,  it  is  impossible  to  assign  them  with  certainty 
to  a  definite  year.  Their  indefiniteness  and  broad  out- 
look are  characteristic  of  the  prophecies  of  the  latter  half 
of  the  Persian  period.  Their  intense  love  for  the  temple 
and  its  service,  their  equally  strong  hatred  of  the  hostile 
heathen  world,  and  their  expectation  that  Jehovah  will 
272 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

soon  appear  to  exalt  his  people,  are  all  marked  character- 
istics of  Judaism. 

The  references  to  the  temple  and  the  character  of  the 
social  evils  which  are  denounced  indicate  that  the  prophets 
who  wrote  these  sermons  had  primarily  in  mind  the  post- 
exilic  Judean  community.  Their  frequent  reflections  of 
the  thought  and  form  of  expression  of  the  earlier  prophets, 
and  especially  of  the  author  of  Isaiah  40  to  55,  stamp  them 
at  once  as  post-exilic.  The  conspicuous  absence  of  exhor- 
tations to  reform  suggests  that  at  least  the  worst  evils 
within  the  community  had  been  eliminated.  A  decided 
turn  in  their  fortunes  evidently  is  the  basis  of  their  new 
sense  of  Jehovah's  favor. 

In  chapters  60  to  62  we  recognize  the  impression  which 
Nehemiah's  mission  made  upon  the  minds  of  the  faithful 
in  the  community.  Already  its  "  light  is  come."  To 
Jerusalem  the  prophet  declares :  "  Strangers  will  build 
your  walls,  and  their  kings  will  minister  to  you."  The 
gifts  which  faithful  Jews  have  brought  from  distant  lands 
are  an  earnest  that  "  men  will  bring  to  you  the  riches  of 
the  nations."  These  glowing  prophecies  may  have  been 
issued  either  on  the  arrival  of  Nehemiah  or  of  Ezra's  ex- 
pedition bringing  rich  gifts  for  the  temple.  The  rebuild- 
ing of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  is  still  put  in  the  future,  and 
the  remembrance  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  community  is 
so  fresh  that  the  earlier  date  is  on  the  whole  the  more 
probable. 

273 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

The  tangible  evidence  that  Jehovah  was  reviving  the 
fortunes  of  his  people  led  them  to  believe  that  he  would 
soon  deliver  them  from  their  hereditary  foes,  those  enemies 
of  progress  who  had  opposed  so  bitterly  the  rebuilding  of 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  From  their  point  of  view  they 
regarded  the  destruction  of  these  malignant  foes  to  be  ab- 
solutely essential  to  the  vindication  of  Jehovah's  justice 
and  to  the  establishment  of  his  kingdom.  As  in  the 
prophecies  of  the  exile  and  in  the  Book  of  Malachi,  the 
Edomites  figure  as  the  type  of  Israel's  enemies.  While 
the  language  and  thought  of  chapters  63  :  i-6;  34;  and 
its  complement,  35,  indicate  that  they  belong  to  the  era  in- 
troduced by  the  work  of  Nehemiah,  there  are  no  definite 
data  from  which  to  determine  the  exact  date. 

The  half-heathen  people  to  whom  Jehovah  had  called 
through  his  prophets,  whose  idolatrous  practices  are  con- 
demned in  chapters  65  and  66,  are  without  much  doubt 
the  Samaritans.  The  alien  temple  referred  to  must  be 
the  one  on  Mount  Gerizim,  and  hence  the  prophecy  must 
be  dated  subsequently  to  432  B.  C.  The  statement  that 
the  new  nation  has  been  born,  the  expectation  that  Jehovah 
will  soon  establish  his  universal  kingdom,  since  his  people 
are  at  last  doing  his  will,  and  the  strongly  ritualistic  tone 
of  the  closing  verses  of  chapter  66,  all  suggest  that  the 
Priestly  Law  has  been  instituted  in  Judah  and  that  they 
come,  therefore,  from  the  bright,  hopeful  years  immedi- 
ately following  the  Great  Assembly. 
274 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  60  :  10 


II 

THE    GOSPEL   PROCLAMATION    TO    THE   JEWISH    RACE 

(Isa.  60  to  62) 

I .    The  Song  of  Glorified  Zion  (60) 
At  last,  after  long  years  of  discouragement  and  waiting,  The  exalta- 

j~.     ^      ,  -111-  •       tion  and 

O  Judean  community,  the  deliverance  and  prosperity  restoration 
promised  by  Jehovah  is  at  hand.  Like  the  first  rays  of  people^^^  ^ 
the  rising  sun,  his  glory  is  bursting  upon  you,  while  the  ^^  •  ^'9) 
heathen  world  is  enveloped  in  deep  darkness.  Foreign 
peoples  and  rulers  will  soon  come  to  profit  by  the  glorious 
revelation  of  Jehovah's  might,  which  has  been  vouchsafed 
to  you.  If  you  could  but  see,  they  are  already  on  the  way. 
From  the  distant  lands  of  the  dispersion  the  scattered  rem- 
nants of  your  race  are  returning,  and  the  weak  ones  are 
being  borne  back,  as  children  are  carried  by  their  moth- 
ers. Soon  you  will  be  filled  with  joy  unutterable,  for,  like 
a  great  flood-tide,  the  wealth  of  the  world  shall  come  pour- 
ing in  upon  you.  From  every  quarter  the  rich  trading 
nations  shall  come,  bringing  offerings  for  Jehovah's  sanct- 
uary, and  praising  him  because  of  the  great  deeds  which 
he  has  done. 

Foreigners,  instead  of  attacking  you,  will  rebuild  your  The  rebuild- 
fallen  walls,  and  the  kings  who  now  rule  over  you  will  sifem  ■^*™' 
serve  you,  for  Jehovah's  indignation  against  you  has  given  ^^"  ^°''3) 
275 


Isaiah  60  :  1 1  Messages  of  the 

place  to  compassion.  Tlien  it  will  not  be  necessary  to 
close  your  gates  against  foreign  foes,  for  all  the  nations 
shall  bring  to  you  their  richest  products.  Then,  as  in  the 
days  of  Solomon,  shall  the  valuable  woods  of  Mount  Leb- 
anon be  brought  to  rebuild  and  beautify  the  temple. 

The  descendants  of  those  who  now  despise  and  attack 
you  will  come  to  you  as  suppliants.  Jerusalem,  instead  of 
being  a  desolate  city,  aside  from  the  great  currents  of  the 
world's  life,  shall  be  known  to  all  as  the  city  blessed  by 
the  presence  of  the  great  and  righteous  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse. When  the  best  of  the  world  is  placed  at  your  dis- 
posal, you  will  appreciate  the  power  and  love  of  the  God 
who  is  your  deliverer.  Instead  of  your  present  poverty, 
u^  wEh'^'^'  Jehovah  wall  give  you  unbounded  prosperity.  The  prin- 
jehovah  will  ciples  of  pcacc  and  justice  shall  dominate  your  political 
people  °  '^  life,  and  deeds  of  violence  and  destruction  shall  be  un- 
(  •  14-22)  i^j^Q^yj^^  Jerusalem  shall  be  far  famed  as  a  haven  of 
refuge  from  wrong  and  oppression.  No  longer  will  you 
be  subject  to  the  changing  fortunes  of  this  cruel,  selfish 
land,  for  Jehovah  himself  will  ever  be  present  to  protect 
and  supply  your  every  need.  Then  will  all  of  his  people 
conform  to  the  just  demands  of  his  law,  so  that  it  will 
never  again  be  necessary  to  drive  them  into  exile.  Thus 
this  remnant  of  a  people,  under  Jehovah's  nurturing  care, 
shall  again  become  a  powerful  nation.  Speedily  will  he 
bring  about  the  realization  of  these  promises. 

276 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  61:9 

2.  Jehovah's  Promise  of  Salvation  and  Restoration 
(61:62) 

The  spirit  of  the  Highest  has  touched  my  spirit,  prepar-  The  mission 

,  ...  ...  and  messai'e 

ing  and  commissioning  me  to  announce  m  his   name  aoftheproph- 
message  of  comfort  to  those  crushed  by  affliction,  to  pro-  jehovalT' ''^ 
claim  release  for  the  distant  exiles,  and  the  approach  of  C^i :  1-3) 
Jehovah's  judgment  day,  in  which  he  will  graciously  re- 
store his  chosen  people  and  punish  transgressors,  and  to 
declare  to  the  sad  and  scattered  remnants  of  the  Jewish 
race   that   their  present  doubts   and   lamentations   shall 
speedily  give  place  to  joy,  for  Jehovah  is  about  to  re-estab- 
lish them  gloriously  in  the  land  of  their  fathers,  so  that 
they  shall  be  an  honor  to  his  name. 

The  reunited  people  will  rebuild  the  ruined  cities  which  The  re- 
have  lain  desolate  since  the  days  of  the  old  Hebrew  king-  nltbn^  ^ 
doms.    The  menial  tasks  of  caring  for  the  flocks  and  tilling  ^^^  •  "^""^ 
the  soil  will  then  be  performed  by  foreigners,  so  that  all  of 
the  chosen  race  will  be  free  to  act  as  the  consecrated  priests 
of  Jehovah.  The  best  products  of  the  world  will  be  brought 
to  them  for  food  and  clothing.     In  return  for  the  wrongs 
and  affronts  which  they  have  suffered,  they  shall  be  alloted 
double  portions  of  earthly  possessions,  and  their  joy  shall 
be  unending;  for  injustice  is  an  abomination  to  Jehovah, 
and  by  him  fidelity  is  always  rewarded.     In  the  coming 
days  all  mankind  will  realize  that  the  Jews  are  the  especial 
objects  of  his  favor.     Then  will  they  exult  because  he  has 
277 


Isaiah  6i  :  lo  Messages  of  the 

delivered  and  vindicated  them  ;   rejoicing  shall   take  the 
place  of  the  present  lamentations.     In  his  own  good  time, 
as  surely  as  spring  follows  winter,  the  Lord  will  give  to 
his  people  victory  over  their  foes  and  honor  in  the  eyes  of 
all  the  nations. 
The  exalta-       I  vvill  not  ccasc  to  prophcsy  until  Jerusalem's  exaltation 
Jerusalem     and  restoration  is  complete.     Forsaken,  desolate  city  and 
^ '  land,  you  will  yet  be  the  admiration  of  the  world,  an  hon- 

or to  Jehovah,  who  will  declare  his  favor  by  restoring  you. 
His  affection  and  regard  for  you  are  like  those  of  a  bride- 
groom toward  his  bride.     Over  his  holy  city  he  has  set 
prophetic  watchmen,  whose  duty  it  is  unceasingly  to  raise 
the  warning  cry,  and  unremittingly  to  remind  him  of  his 
gracious  promises,  until  he  fulfils  them  in  the  exaltation 
of  Jerusalem  to  a  position  of  surpassing  honor  among  the 
cities  of  the  world. 
The  deliver-      By  his  Omnipotence   Jehovah   has   solemnly  promised 
Jehovah's     that  their  foes  shall  no  longer  despoil  his  people  of  the 
people  products  of   their  toil  ;   but  unmolested  shall  they  enjoy 

(.62:8-12)  tj-ieni  within  the  sacred  precincts  of  his  sanctuary.  All 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  their  glorious  restoration  shall  be 
removed.  The  divine  proclamation  has  gone  forth ;  Jeho- 
vah is  about  to  redeem  and  reward  his  faithful  ones  ; 
quickly  all  the  world  shall  know  it.  The  disgrace  of  the 
past  shall  be  removed.  Soon  they  shall  be  recognized  as 
the  peculiar  objects  of  his  mercy  and  tender  care. 

278 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  65  :  lo 


III  1 

VENGEANCE     UPON     THEIR     GUILTY     FOES    AND     DE-  i 

LIVERANCE    AND    HONOR    FOR    JEHOVAH'S 

PEOPLE  (Isa.  34  ;  35  ;  65  ;  66) 

I.   The  Opposite  Fates  Awaiting  the  Samaritans  and  ' 

Jews  (65  :  I  to  66  :  5,  17,  18")  i 

Jehovah  declares  that,  although  they  have  never  genuine-  The  obdu- 
ly  sought  him,  he  has  freely  offered  to  that  half-Israelitish,  vtiTpmc- 
half-heathen  people  who  dwell  on  the  borders  of  Judah  samaritlns  i 

the  privilege  of  participating  in  his  worship.     Through  his  (65 : 1-7)  , 

prophets  he  has  urged  them  to  acknowledge  him  as  their  I 

God,  and  to  abandon  their  wicked  practices,  but  in  vain.  I 

They  constantly  arouse  his  indignation  by  their  shameful  j 

heathen  rites,  and  by  their  defiance  of  the  sacred  cere- 
monial law.  At  the  same  time  they  lay  claims  to  superior 
sanctity.  Jehovah  will  not  tolerate  such  brazen  apostasy. 
Their  heinous  crimes  and  the  idolatrous  practices  of  their  j 

fathers  will  receive  at  his  hands  their  just  recompense. 

He  will  not,  however,  destroy  all  of  the  remnants  of  the  The  preser-  1 

Tx    ,  .-,,1         ~  ■,    ,•  /•       i         1-  T  1  vatiun  of  the 

Hebrew  race.     The  fidelity  of   the  few  Jews  who  serve  faithful  few 
him  will  influence  him,  not  only  to  preserve  them,  but  ^^^  *  ^''°^ 

also  from  them  to  rear  up  a  people  who  will  again,  as  of  i 

old,  occupy  the  entire  land  of  Canaan  from  east  lo  west.  ] 

They  who  spurn  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  and,  intent  I 

279  I 


Isaiah  65  :  II  Messages  of  the 

The  want     only  OH   attaining  their  selfish  ends,  pay  homage  to  the 
fiTstoreToT    heathen  gods  of  fortune  and  destiny,  will  be  destined  to 
to^je'hOTah    destruction.     Since   they  have  disregarded   his   gracious 
(65:  11-15)    invitations  and  done  only  evil,  they  shall  experience  the 
horrors  of  starvation,  thirst,  disgrace,  and   inexpressible 
anguish  ;  while  those  who  are  true  to  him  shall  have  their 
every  need  satisfied.     The  name  of  the  Samaritans  will 
be  preserved  only  on  the  lips  of  those  who  curse  ;  while 
to  his  loyal  followers,  the  Jews,  he  will  give  a  new  name, 
expressive  of  their  nobler  character. 
The  glories       Henceforth  in  this  land  of  sacred  memories  Jehovah 
era  about  to  wiU  be  the  Only  God  whom  men  will  worship.     Him  will 
jewrsh*^race*  they  trust  and  praise,  because  he  will  deliver  them  from 
(65  :  16-25)    all  their  present  woes.     He  declares  that  he  will  institute 
a  new  era,  in  which  the  imperfections  and  troubles  of  the 
past  will  be  forgotten.     Instead  of  the  present  poor,  half- 
populated  Jerusalem,  he  will  rear  a  new  city  which  will 
be  a  constant  source  of  pride  and  joy  to  him  and  to  its 
inhabitants.     No  more  will  wails  of  lamentation  rise  from 
their  lips.     No  longer  will  the  weak  ones — children  and 
old  men — perish  from  exposure  and  privation.     All  shall 
enjoy  peace   and   prosperity  and  die   in  a  ripe  old   age. 
Then  will  Jehovah  anticipate  all  their  wants,  even  before 
they  feel  them.     Then  will  be  realized  the  earlier  prophetic 
ideal  of  perfect  peace  and  harmony  throughout  all  cre- 
ation ;  and  wrong  and  violence  will  be  unknown  within 
the  precincts  of  the  sacred  city. 
280 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  66  :  1 8^ 

Do  you  ask  which  sanctuary — the  one  at  Jerusalem  or  Faith  and 
the  one   on  Mount  Gerizim — is  acceptable  to  Jehovah  ?  the  only  es- 
Know  that  he  needs  no  sanctuary,  for  heaven  is  his  place  jg'J,^^^^'" 
of  abode  and  the  earth  only  his   footstool.     Everything  )',g'"f^'P 
was  created  by  him.     He  needs   no   temple   built   with 
hands.     He  ever  looks,  not  upon  the  structures  which  men 
raise  for  his  worship  nor  upon  the  forms  of  ritual,  but 
upon  the  attitude  of  the  worshipper.     They  who  humbly, 
reverentially,  and  obediently  do  his  will  are  assured  of  his 
blessing. 

Let  not  those  who  worship  him  in  their  own  selfish  way,  They  who 
combining  with  their  offering  of  oxen  and  sheep  the  sac-  ha°i?heait-™ 
rifice  of  human  beings  and  of  unclean  beasts,  who  pav  ^f"^-'  '"^''•?' 

*  '  t     ;  ducing  vile 

homage  to  idols,  as  well  as  to  Jehovah,  think   that  they  heathen  rites 

•1111  i-ii-  T->  ,■  i"^"  their 

Will  thereby  secure  his  blessing.     Because  of  their  defiant,  service,  only 
wicked  course,  he  will  send  dread  calamities  upon  them,  wrath^'^ 
Their  awful  fate  shall  bring  encouragement  to  the  objects  ^^ga^*  3-5»  »7» 
of  their  hatred,  the  faithful  members  of  the  Hebrew  race, 
who  are  now  serving  Jehovah  according  to  their  light. 
Although  they  who  mistrust  his  power  to  deliver  them, 
and  who  revive  the  ancient  forms  of  nature  worship,  seem 
to  prosper,  their  destruction  Jehovah  declares  is  certain. 

2.  Jehovalis  Judgment  upon  the  Hostile  Natio7is  and 
Especially  upon  Edom  (63  :  1-6  ;  34) 

Do  you   feel,  O  Jews,  that  you  are  the  helpless  victims  The  divine 
of  your  foes,  and  especially  of  the  cruel,  treacherous  Edom-  (63Ti-'6) 
281 


Isaiah  63 


Messages  of  the 


The  sen- 
tence upon 
the  hostile 
nations 
(34  :  1-4) 


The  awful 
fate  await- 
ing the 
Edomites 
and  their 
land 
(34  :  5-17) 


ites,  who  in  the  time  of  your  distress  seized  and  still 
hold  a  large  portion  of  the  territory  of  Judah  ?  Look  up 
and  with  the  eye  of  faith  behold  your  invincible  champion 
returning  from  executing  bloody  vengeance  upon  your 
enemies.  It  is  Jehovah  who,  finding  that  there  was  no 
one  else  to  deliver  his  people,  has  come,  as  the  upholder 
of  justice,  by  his  own  omnipotent  power,  to  vindicate  them 
and  to  destroy  completely  the  hostile  heathen  nations. 

Let  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth  know  the  fate  which 
awaits  them  at  the  hand  of  Jehovah.  His  fierce  wrath  is 
aroused  against  them  and  he  has  condemned  them  to 
death.  When  he  executes  his  sentence  upon  them  they 
shall  die  by  thousands.  Their  corpses  shall  lie  rotting 
upon  every  mountain  and  hill-top — all  nature  shall  be 
affected  by  Jehovah's  judgment  upon  man's  sin. 

The  Edomites  shall  be  the  especial  objects  of  his  de- 
structive wrath.  Their  many  flocks  shall  be  slain  in  the 
great  sacrificial  feast  which  Jehovah  is  about  to  institute 
in  their  proud  capital.  In  that  day  of  his  vengeance  their 
entire  land  shall  be  soaked  in  blood.  To  complete  the 
destruction,  it  shall  be  inundated  by  floods  of  bitumen, 
which  shall  go  on  burning  unceasingly,  so  that  the  land 
shall  be  impassable.  It  shall  become  a  lone  desolation, 
inhabited  only  by  the  unclean  birds  and  beasts  that  fre- 
quent ruins.  Thus  Edom's  rulers  shall  perish.  Its 
palaces  shall  become  the  abode  of  wild  animals  and  foul 
spirits.  Vile  serpents  and  vultures  shall  haunt  the 
282 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  66  :  7 

desolate  wastes  where  now  stand  the  proud  cities  of  your 
foes.  The  judgment  is  certain,  for  Jehovah  has  deter- 
mined to  execute  it,  and  its  effects  shall  last,  not  for  one 
short  moment,  but  forever. 

3.  The  Glorious  Era  to  Follow  JehovaJis  Judgment  (35) 

For  Jehovah's  people,  however,  the  desert   places  and  The  bless- 
pastures  shall  be  clad  with  a  brilliance  of  bloom.     The  for  the  faith- 
rich  fertility  of   Mount  Carmel   and  the  plain  of   Sharon  (35)   ^^ 
shall  extend  over  the  entire  land.     Let  those  who  have 
lost  hope  and  courage  be  strengthened  and  fear  not,  for 
Jehovah  will  surely  come  to  deliver  his  people,  and  to  pun- 
ish their  foes.     Those  who  are  now  afflicted  shall  be  re- 
lieved and  filled  with  joy.     Parched  Judah  shall  be  sup- 
plied with  flowing  springs  and  streams.     These  desolate 
ruins  shall  be  reclaimed.     The  good  shall  be  separated 
from  the  wicked.     Violence  and  wrong  shall  cease.     The 
exiles  of  the  Jewish  race  shall  return  with  songs  of  joy  on 
their  lips,  and  sadness  shall  be  only  a  memory  of  the  past. 

4.  The  Establishment  of  Jehovah's  Universal  Kingdom 

(66  :6-i6,  i8»'-24) 

If  you  will  observe  closely  you  will  note  the  indications  The  restor- 
that  Jehovah  is  about  to  complete  his  work  of  judgment,  Jewish  na- 
and  visit  upon  those  who  defy  him  their  just  deserts.    See  JebuUdhigof 
how  this  struggling  community  almost  in  a  moment,  with-  I'^l^.^'^^^ 
out  any  effort  on  its  part,  has  through  the  return  of  loyal 
283 


Isaiah  66  :  8  Messages  of  tin 


exiles  grown  into  a  nation.     Such  a  marvel  is  unprece- 
dented in   human  history.     No  sooner  did  the  Jews  in 
Palestine  truly  exert  themselves  to  rebuild  Jerusalem  than 
her  sons  came  streaming  back.     Surely  Jehovah  will  not 
begin  this  glorious  task  of  restoring  and  vindicating  his 
chosen  people  and  then  fail  to  bring  it  to  completion.     Let 
all  who  love  the  holy  city,  who  have  mourned  over  her 
desolation  in  the  past,  rejoice  over  her  exaltation,  and  the 
still  greater  glories  in  store  for  her. 
Jehovah's         Jehovah  declares  that  to  his  city  and  nation,  so  long  the 
?S^ove"r\is  prey  of  powerful  foes,  he  will  give  peace  unceasing,  and 
a"d°'^eo'^i?  ^^^  heathen  peoples,  instead  of  attacking,  shall  bring  to 
(66 :  12-16)    you  their  richest  products  in  overflowing  profusion.     They 
shall  devote  their  best  energies  to  restoring  you  to  your 
land,  and  to  supplying  your  every  need.     Jehovah's  care 
for  you  will   be  like    that   of   a   tender,  loving   mother. 
When  you  appreciate  it,  your  hearts  will  be  filled  with 
joy,  and  you  will  regain  your  courage  and  enthusiasm. 
The  whole  world  shall  then  know  that  Jehovah  at  last  has 
shown  his  love   toward  his   servants.     By  fire   and   the 
sword  will  he  execute  vengeance  upon  all  who  are  hos- 
tile to  him. 
At  last  all         The  time  is  coming  when  Jehovah  will  lead  all  men  to 
flS'gniri^    appreciate  his  power  and  glory.    Convinced  by  the  wonders 
and  worship  ^yhich  he  will  perform,  they  shall  become  apostles  to  the 

Jehovah  ^  •'  r  ,    ■  ^^  ^ 

(66:  i8«>-24)  distant  nations,  w^ho  have  not  heard  of  his  marvellous  char- 
acter and  acts.     The  heathen  world  shall  be  so  thoroughly 
284 


Lata-  Prophets  Isaiah  66  :  24 

impressed  with  his  mi_c:ht  and  holiness  that  they  will  bring 
your  exiled  kinsmen  from  the  distant  lands  where  they 
have  been  scattered  to  Jerusalem  as  an  offering  to  Jeho- 
vah. Of  these  he  will  appoint  some  to  serve  as  priests  in 
his  temple.  In  this  new  order  of  things,  which  he  is  soon 
to  institute,  you  and  your  race  will  be  perpetuated  through 
your  descendants,  who  will  unceasingly  succeed  each 
other.  [On  the  appointed  days  all  mankind  will  join  with 
you  in  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  having  learned  from  the 
awful  fate  that  has  overtaken  those  who  rebelled  against 
him,  the  lesson  of  reverential  and  faithful  obedience.] 


285 


THE  MESSAGE   OF  JOEL 


THE   MESSAGE   OF   JOEL 


THE    DATE    AND    THEME    OF    JOEL  S   PROPHECY 

The  half  century  succeeding  the  solemn  adoption  of  the 
Law  by  the  people  of  Judah  was  in  many  respects  the 
most  hopeful  and  encouraging  of  any  which  had  followed 
the  nation's  downfall.  Under  the  potent  influence  of  a 
common  system  of  laws  which  minutely  regulated  the  life 
of  each  individual,  the  population  of  the  province  became 
united,  and  therefore  increased  in  strength.  Many  Jews, 
moreover,  attracted  by  the  congenial  atmosphere  of  the 
reformed  community  must  have  come  back  from  distant 
lands  to  settle  in  Judah.  By  their  aid,  and  through  the 
renewed  enterprise  of  the  inhabitants,  considerable  ter- 
ritory was  added  to  the  effective  domain  of  Judah,  espe- 
cially toward  the  west  and  northwest.  The  community 
increased,  not  in  numbers  and  strength  alone  but  in  pres- 
tige and  influence  in  comparison  with  the  other  petty  sur- 
rounding states.  Once  more  it  became  a  potent  factor  in 
the  affairs  of  Palestine.  This  advance  in  material  pros- 
289 


Joel  Messages  of  the 

perity,  rendered  far  easier  by  the  weakness  of  the  central 
government  under  Artaxerxes  II.  (404-358  B.  C),  was 
paralleled  by  a  gradual  revival  of  the  old  aspirations  after 
independence  and  of  an  eager  expectation  that  at  last 
Jehovah's  promises  were  about  to  be  fulfilled  in  the  over- 
turning of  the  foes  of  the  nation  and  the  exaltation  of 
Judah  to  a  world-wide  rule. 

There  are  many  indications  which  converge  to  prove 
that  the  prophecy  of  Joel  comes  from  this  period  of  peace 
and  growth.  The  bitter  days  of  exile  are  past  (3  :  1,2, 
17)  ;  the  community  is  no  longer  threatened  by  some 
great  world-power,  like  Assyria  or  Babylonia,  but  has  to 
deal  with  Phoenicia,  Philistia,  and  Edom  (3  :  4-6,  19)  and 
their  petty  enmities.  These  political  conditions  suit  well 
the  era  when  Assyria  and  Babylonia  were  no  longer  in  ex- 
istence and  when  Persia,  the  nominal  ruler  of  southwestern 
Asia,  was  comparatively  inert.  These  conditions,  however, 
came  to  an  abrupt  end  with  the  accession  of  Artaxerxes 
Ochus,  whose  powerful  and  cruel  reign  aroused  the  hatred 
and  fear  of  his  subjects  throughout  the  Asiatic  world. 

Still  more  decisive  are  the  references  to  the  religious 
life.  The  sin  which  stirs  the  heart  of  the  prophet  is 
neither  idolatry  nor  civic  unrighteousness,  but  an  undefined 
failure  to  render  to  Jehovah  his  utmost  claims.  The 
community  is  a  unit.  Its  leaders  are  priests  and  elders, 
who  can  gather  all  the  people  to  a  "  solemn  assembly  " 
(2  :  16).  The  calamity  which  presses  upon  them  is  the 
200 


Later  Prophets  Joel 

danger,  not  of  political  overthrow,  but  of  the  cessation  of 
the  daily  temple  offerings.  Without  question  the  prophecy 
was  put  forth  at  a  time  when  religious  interests  dominated 
all  others  and  appealed  to  the  community  as  a  whole  ; 
when  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  was  the  only  recognized 
sanctuary  (i  :  9),  and  the  natural  centre  of  civic  activity 
(2:1,  15  ;  3:17);  when  the  word  "  Israel "  had  become 
synonymous  with  Judah. 

Opposed  to  these  indications  of  a  date  for  Joel  in  the 
first  half  of  the  fourth  century  B.  C.  is  the  place  of  the  book 
in  the  canon.  The  editors  who  arranged  the  twelve  Mi- 
nor Prophets  into  a  book  apparently  supposed  that  Joel, 
like  Hosea  and  Amos,  was  a  pre-exilic  work,  for  their 
arrangement  of  the  order  of  the  books  is  in  general  chron- 
ological. Influenced  by  this  judgment,  not  a  few  scholars 
have  sought  to  date  the  prophecy  in  the  earlier  part  of 
the  reign  of  Joash,  before  Hazael  invaded  Judah,  about 
825  B.  C.  (2  Kings  12).  At  no  other  pre-exilic  date  would 
it  be  possible  to  account  for  its  peculiarities.  These 
scholars  have  also  been  influenced  by  the  opinion  that 
Amos  I  :  2^  is  a  quotation  from  Joel  4:  16*,  and  Amos 
9:13  from  Joel  4:18. 

The  arguments  adv^anced  to  prove  that  Joel  is  the  ear- 
liest prophetic  book  in  the  Old  Testament  create  at  the 
best  no  more  than  a  possibility  for  the  early  date  and  are 
opposed  by  cogent  and  important  considerations.  The 
book  of  Joel  has  some  twenty  literary  parallels  to  a  dozen 
291 


Joel  Messages  of  the 

different  biblical  books.  A  minute  examination  of  these 
(compare  G.  B.  Gray,  Expositor,  September,  1893) 
seems  to  prove  that  Joel  was  the  one  who  quoted.  Ref- 
erences to  the  Greeks  as  slave-traders  and  the  absence  of 
references  to  the  northern  kingdom  or  to  Moab,  Ammon, 
or  Aram  are  not  easy  to  explain  at  800  B.  C.  Moreover 
the  allusions  of  Joel  to  the  "northerner"  (2  :  20),  to  the 
river  flowing  from  the  temple  (3:18)  and  to  the  "  day  of 
Jehovah,"  while  perfectly  natural  to  one  who  followed 
Zephaniah,  Jeremiah,  and  Ezekiel,  are  obscure  and  less 
effective  as  original  expressions.  If  uttered  before  800 
B.C.  prophecy  overlooked  them  for  more  than  two  cen- 
turies. Strangest  of  all  would  be  the  expectation  of  the 
prophet  that  the  heathen  nations  would  be  completely  de- 
stroyed (3:2,  9-14).  This  hope  is  in  line  with  the  vision 
of  Ezekiel  (38,  39)  and  well  expresses  the  desire  of  the 
later  post-exilic,  but  is  quite  out  of  harmony  with  the 
ideas  of  the  earlier  prophets.  They  predicted  severe 
judgments  on  the  guilty  nations,  but  did  not  anticipate 
their  extirpation. 

The  theme  of  the  Book  of  Joel  is  one  familiar  to  the 
reader  of  prophecy.  A  great  calamity  is  interpreted  mor- 
ally by  the  prophet  as  a  call  to  repentance.  The  ensuing 
reformation  affords  a  basis  for  the  promise  of  great  bless- 
ings, expressed  in  part  apocalyptically  under  the  form 
of  a  gathering  of  all  hostile  nations  for  judgment  and  ex- 
termination. 

292 


Later  Prophets  Joel  i  :  3 

Attention  has  often  been  called  to  the  structure  of  the 
book.  It  is  carefully  balanced,  the  enumeration  of  the 
woes  of  the  people  contrasting  with  the  detail  of  their 
promised  blessings.  It  abounds  in  rhetorical  passages 
and  striking  figures,  indicating  the  greatest  care  in  elab- 
oration. 


II 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  LOCUSTS  AND  JEHOVAH  S 

JUDGMENT  (i  :  I  to  2  :  17) 

I.   The  Locust  Devastation  a  Summons  to  National 
Repentance  (i) 

During  the  half  century  following  the  adoption  of  the  The 


oc- 


r  1     1  1         •  .        1  ,  casiun  ..f  the 

Law,  after  a  series  of  unexampled  calamities  brought  on  prophecy 
by  drought,  by  fire,  and  finally  by  locusts,  the  prophet  '^ " 
Joel  was  impelled  to  deliver  a  warning  message  to   his 
people. 

"O  people  of  Judah,  old  and  young  alike,  give  strict  The  destruc 
attention  to  the  message  which  Jehovah  has  put  into  my  visitation 
heart.     What  an  unprecedented  series  of  calamities  has  ^^ '  ^'"^ 
fallen  to  our  lot  in  these  days  !     For  generations  to  come 
they  will  be  told  and  retold  as  examples  of  unparalleled 
disaster.     The   land   is    bare.      Swarm   after  swarm   of 
destructive    locusts    have    devoured   the   crops  and   the 
293 


Joel  I  :  4 


Messages  of  the 


The  univer. 
sal  lament 
(1:5) 


The  locust 

army 

(1:6-7) 


The  be- 
reaved land 
(i :  8-10) 


foliage.  The  vegetation  which  the  gnawer '  spared, 
the  swarmer  has  discovered  and  consumed ;  what  the 
swarmer  failed  to  find,  the  licker  has  searched  out ;  what 
the  licker  overlooked',  alas  !  the  finisher  has  destroyed. 
Every  chance  of  vintage  or  harvest  is  gone. 

"  Let  all  classes  join  in  lamenting  the  awful  disaster. 
Awake  from  your  drunken  sleep,  ye  revellers,  who  love 
to  quaff  huge  measures  of  sweet  wine,  cry  aloud  in  your 
vexation,  for  the  beverage  you  long  for  can  no  longer  be 
obtained.  Like  a  well-organized  army  these  locusts  have 
invaded  our  beautiful  land.  They  are  eager  to  devour, 
untiring,  innumerable,  as  irresistible  and  destructive  as 
lions.  Not  content  with  devouring  plants  and  vegetables 
they  have  attacked  the  fruit-trees,  consuming  the  leaves 
and  finally  stripping  off  the  bark,  leaving  them  ghastly 
and  bare  in  the  burning  sun. 

"  Like  a  young  wife  mourning  for  her  husband,  the 
devastated  land  lies  desolate.  No  longer  can  the  stated 
services  of  the  temple  be  continued.  The  daily  vegetable 
offering  and  libation  of  wine  cannot  be  provided  in  glad 
acknowledgment  of  Jehovah's  presence  and  favor.  The 
priests  who  stand  in  the  holy  sanctuary  and  minister  be- 
fore him  are  heart-broken.  Even  the  land  itself  and  its 
produce  seem  to  join  in  the  chorus  of  grief. 

"  Manifest  freely  your  disappointment,  you  that  culti- 

*  These  four  terms  for  the  locust  represent  vividly  its  powers  of  destruc- 
tion.    Probably  only  one  kind  of  locust  is  designated. 
294 


Later  Prophets  Joel  i  :  20 

vate  the  soil  and   keep  the  vineyards,  for  not  only   the  The  despair 
wheat  and  barley  and  the  highly  prized  fruit-trees,  but  all  owners 
the  trees  alike  are  rendered  useless  to  promote  the  joy  or^''  "'  ^'^' 
well-being  of  mankind. 

"  O  priests  of  Jehovah,  spend  not  your  strength  in  use-  The  call  to  a 

r    ,  ,    V     ,     •  ,  f  •  public  fast 

less  grief,  but  put  on  sackcloth  m  token  of  your  penitence  (, ;  13.15) 
and  proclaim  a  day  of  public  fasting  and  prayer.  This 
calamity  is  a  harbinger  of  what  will  be  far  harder  to  bear, 
namely,  Jehovah's  day  of  retribution.  That  day  will  re- 
veal the  might  of  the  Almighty.'  Beware  lest  he  find  it 
necessary  to  manifest  himself  against  us. 

"  Need  I  point  out  the  providential    character  of  this  The  added 
misfortune  ?    See  how  wide-spread  it  has  been.     Do  we  drought  and 
not  look  helplessly  on  while  the  means  of  expressing  our  ^j""!  j6,2o) 
joyful  service  of  thanks  to  God  are  taken  away,  not  only 
by  the  greedy  locusts,  but  by  this  extreme  drought.     The 
seed  grain  is  shrivelled  up  with  the  heat,  the  granaries  are 
allowed  to  fall  into  disrepair.     Cattle  wander  here  and 
there  in  great  distress  in  search  of  pasturage ;  even  the 
sheep  are  unable  to  find  subsistence.     O  Jehovah,  we  can 
but  appeal  to  thee.     Locusts,  droughts,  and   fire  have  ut- 
terly swept  away  our  resources.      Even  the  dumb  beasts 
are  turning  toward  thee  their  longing  eyes,  pleading  in 
agony  that    this  dearth  of  water  and  of  pasturage  may 
have  an  end." 

*  The  Hebrew  contains  a  clever  assonance  in  the  words  "devastation" 
{shod)  and  "  Almighty  "  i^shaddai). 


Joel  2  :  I  Messages  of  the 


2.  Oftly  Repenta7ice  will  Avert  the  Terrors  of  Jehovah*  s 
Day  (2  :  i-ii) 

The  day  of       "  Sound  the  sacFcd  trumpets  from  the  temple  mount  that 
han?^   ^'   the  people  may  awake  to  a  sense  of  their  danger.     The 
(2:  i-2»)       jj^y  qJ  Jehovah  is  very  near,  a  day  when  the  sun  will  be 
obscured  and  the  whole  sky  be  darkened,  save  where  a 
few  beams  of  the  sun  gleam  through  the  enshadowing 
cloud,  as  at  sunrise  on  the  mountains.     But  the  clouds 
will   be    made   up   of  swarms    of    locusts    approaching 
in   resistless   hordes   without   number.      The   sight   will 
transcend  all  experience    or    expectation.      To  the   one 
The  march    watching  their  advance   the  country  before  them  seems 
of^he  locust  ^^j^  ^g  j.^^  garden  of  Eden,  but  behind  them  it  resembles 
(2 :  2b.5)        ^  fire-swept  wilderness.      Like  a  mighty  host  of  cavalry 
they  approach ;  the  noise  of  their  wings  in  flight  is  like 
the  noise  of  chariots  rumbling  over  the  hills  ;  the  sound 
of  their  browsing  is    like  the  crackling  of  a  fire  driven 
through  dry  stubble ;  they  are  as  eager  as  a  phalanx  pan- 
oplied for  war. 
Their  attack      "At  the  sight  of  them  whole  nations  are  seized  with 
'^^        panic  ;  all  countenances  are  livid  with  fear.     In  unbroken 
ranks   they   advance  steadily   to    the   charge,   marching 
straight  ahead,  no  one  hindering  his  neighbor.     No  ex- 
pedient serves  to  stop  their  onset.     They  swarm  over  the 
walls,  enter  the  houses  through  the  lattice-work,  and  take 
396 


Later  Prophets  Joel  2:17 

possession  of  the  city  in  spite  of  all  the  exertions  of  its  in- 
habitants. 

"  At  their  approach  even  earth  and  heaven  tremble  and  The  accom- 
the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  withdraw  their  light.     Jehovah,  phenomena 
too,  at  their  head,  manifests  his  presence  in  loud  thunder-     "  '°'  "^ 
ings,  befitting  the  huge  and  powerful  instrument  of  his 
will,  and  heralding  the  advent  of  his  awe-inspiring  day. 

"  Yet,  O  Judah,  it  is  not  too  late  to  avert  this  crowning  The  need  of 
calamity.  Manifest  by  grief  and  fasting  your  sincere  ^^^^^^^l) 
repentance,  for  Jehovah  is  gracious  and  compassionate, 
ready  to  forgive  and  bless.  There  is  yet  time  for  him  to 
turn  aside  from  his  course  of  judgment  and  permit  the 
earth  once  more  to  bring  forth  the  fruits  which  we  rejoice 
to  offer  to  him. 

"Sound  the  trumpets,  therefore,  for   a  great  religious  The  call  to  a 
assembly  of  all  the  people,  small  and  great,  young  and  semJ^jy  ^^" 
old.     Let  none  be  excepted.     Acting  for  all  the  people,  ^^  •  'S-i?) 
who  are  assembled  in    the   outer  court,   let   the  priests, 
standing  between  the  entrance  of  the  sanctuary  and  the 
great  altar  of  burnt  offering,  offer  public  supplication  to 
Jehovah,  saying,  '  O  Jehovah,  forgive  and  spare  thy  people 
and  this  holy  land  lest  the  heathen  nations,  noting  how 
we  suffer,  may  make  a  mock  of  us,  declaring  that  thou 
hast  cast  us  off.'  " 


297 


Joel  2  :  i8  Messages  of  the 


III 

THE    PROSPERITY,    INSPIRATION    AND    DELIVERANCE 
FROM    ENEMIES    IN    STORE    FOR    JEHOVAH's 

PEOPLE  (2  :  i8  to  3  :  21) 

I.   The  Returji  of  Prosperity  (2  :  18-27) 

The  results       Stirred  by  the  exhortations  of  the  prophet,  the  people 
°2  PjgJ^^"'^^  assembled  together  at  a  solemn  fast  to  express  their  peni- 
tence ;    the   priests   interceded   for   them,   and   Jehovah, 
moved  by  a  desire   to  sustain  the  dignity  of  his   name 
among  the  nations  and  filled  with  pity  and  love  for  his 
people,  gave  them  through  his  prophet  a  gracious  answer 
to  their  plea. 
The  renewal      "  In  the  days  to  come,  O  repentant  servants  of  mine, 
and"^?emo"Si  ^  will  grant  you  again  in  great  abundance  the  products 
of  the  locusts  j^f  ^^  earth  and  will  show  my  favor  so  openly  that  all  the 

(2  ;  19,  20)  ''  *         "^ 

world  will  recognize  that  I  am  protecting  and  blessing  you. 
Moreover,  this  plague  of  locusts — fit  emblem  of  the  hordes 
from  the  north  who  seek  to  crush  out  your  national  life — 
I  will  destroy.  With  a  strong  wind  will  I  blow  them  into 
the  desert  or  into  the  two  seas  to  miserably  perish  in  such 
quantities  that  their  carcases,  cast  up  by  the  waves,  will 
exhale  pestilential  odors,  for  they  have  over-done  their 
deputed  work." 

"  O  land,  cease  from  all  grief  and  fear,  for  Jehovah  is 


Later  Prophets  Joel  2  :  31 

mightier  than   his  instrument  and  is  about  to  bless  us.  Promise  of 
O  beasts  of  the  field,  be  afraid  no  longer,  for  the  pastures  abundant" 
will  soon  be  green  and  the  ravaged  trees  will  bear  their  l^a^^aT-U) 
fruit  abundantly.     Rejoice,  O  children  of  Zion,  give  praise 
to  Jehovah,  for  he  will  regularly  send  down  the  early  rain 
to  soften  the  earth,  the  winter  rain  to  stimulate  the  crops, 
and  the  late  rain  to  ripen  them.     In  the  abundant  harvests 
which  will  result,  Jehovah  will  repay  the  losses  of  these 
years  of  repeated   devastation   by  locusts   and   drought. 
When  you  are  enjoying  the  resulting  ease  and  plenty,  you 
will  in  happy  contentment  acknowledge  your  indebtedness 
to  Jehovah  and  be  proud  that  you  are  his  people.     There- 
after your  faith  in  his  care  will  never  weaken." 

2.    The  Inspiration  and  Deliverance  of  all  true  Israelites 
(2  :  28-32) 

Having  thus  proven  by  these  signs  that  he  has  forgiven  Promise  of 
his  erring  people  Jehovah  will  do  greater  things.  He  (2I  S^%) 
promises  to  pour  out  abundantly  his  spirit  upon  all  Is- 
raelites, young  men  and  maidens,  the  feeble  and  the 
strong,  upon  every  class,  even  the  very  humblest.  Not 
prophets  nor  priests  alone,  but  everyone  shall  then  have 
insight  into  the  will  of  Jehovah. 

Then  will  be  seen   signs  of    the  day  of  Jehovah,  his  Deliverance 
day  of  judgment.     There  will  be  extraordinary  portents Sov-ahs  day 
in  earth  and  air,  arresting  attention  and  presaging  mis-  J°ei|["s^  '^" 
fortune.      Those,   however,   who    publicly    acknowledge  (2  '■  30-32) 
299 


Joel  2  :  32 


Messages  of  the 


with  heartfelt  earnestness  their  trust  in  Jehovah  will  be 
absolutely  secure  from  danger.  Many  of  these  will  be 
in  Jerusalem,  but  some  will  even  be  found  among  the 
Jews  dispersed  far  and  wide. 


Nations  to 
be  sum- 
moned for 
judgment 
(3  :  1-3) 


3.    The  Jiidgme7it  of  the  Heathen  Natzo?is  (3) 

"  In  the  day  when  my  people  find  deliverance,  safety, 
and  restoration,"  Jehovah  declares,  "I  will  reckon  with 
the  nations  which  have  taken  advantage  of  their  weakness. 
I  will  bring  them  together  at  the  valley  called  '  Jehovah 
judges,*  and  will  contend  in  judgment  with  them  there. 
Much  have  I  to  charge  against  them — the  wide  dispersion 
of  my  people,  the  seizure  of  the  soil,  their  sale  as  prison- 
ers of  war  into  slavery  at  a  low  price.     I  will  demand  a 
full  accounting. 
The  special       "In  that  day,   inhabitants  of  Phoenicia  and  Philistia, 
orphc^r    what  will  be  your  answer  to  my  charge  }    Has  there  been 
fstla"'^^^^^'  ^^y  justification  for  your  cruel  treatment  of  Israel  }   Were 
(3  :  4-8)        you  executing  vengeance  ?     Nay,  it  is  vengeance  that  you 
deserve,  and  speedily  shall  it  come  upon  you.     Not  only 
did  you  enrich  your  palaces  with  the  plunder  of  Judah, 
but  you  sold  Jewish  captives  into  distant  slavery  among 
the   Greeks.      Behold    I  am  about   to   incite  these  very 
victims  to  return,  make  captives  of  your  children,  and  sell 
them  into  slavery  to  the  distant  nation  of  Sheba.     This  is 
Jehovah's  proclamation." 

300 


Later  Prophets  Joel  3  ••  16 

Let  heralds  declare   to  all  the   nations   that   Jehovah  The -J-^^^ 
invites  them  to  combat.     Let  them  equip  and  send  forth  nations 
their  veteran  warriors.    Let  them  make  every  effort,  trans-  3  •  9-" 
forming  the  implements  of  peace  into  weapons  of  war, 
and  arousing  such  a  martial  spirit  that  even  the  weak  will, 
declare  themselves  willing  and  able  to  fight.     Let  all  these 
hosts   assemble   for  the    strife   in    the  valley  "  Jehovah 
judges."     There,  O  Jehovah,  cause  the  angelic  hosts  to 
come  to  meet  them. 

"  Let  the  nations  advance,"  proclaims  Jehovah,  "  I  Jf^hj^^^'s 
will  be  ready  to  meet  them.  No  longer  will  I  argue  the  {3 :  12-13) 
case  with  them,  but  I  will  be  seated  on  my  throne  of 
judgment,  prepared  to  pronounce  their  well-deserved 
doom.  Great  has  been  their  wickedness  and  certain  shall 
be  their  fate.  They  are  like  a  harvest  ready  for  the  sickle 
or  a  vat  laden  with  grapes  for  pressing.  The  time  has 
come  for  decisive  action." 

Hear  the  distant  hum  of  the  throngs  in  the  valley,  The^^wful 
awaiting  Jehovah's  rapidly  approaching  judgment.  Thej3:x4-i7) 
signs  of  his  day  will  soon  appear.  The  sun  and  moon 
will  be  eclipsed  and  the  stars  will  cease  to  shine.  Mighty 
storms  will  herald  Jehovah's  approach.  Heaven  and 
earth  will  quake  before  him.  His  judgment,  however,  is 
for  his  foes  alone ;  to  his  own  people  he  will  be  a  strong- 
hold and  defence.  When  he  has  delivered  them,  his  peo- 
ple will  know  that  he  is  their  only  God,  dwelling  on  Mount 
Zion,  able  and  ready  to  protect  and  bless.  He  will  de- 
301 


Joel  3:17 

The  sub-       fend  it   from  all  foes  and  prevent  it  from  being  defiled 

prosperity     again  by  the  foot  of  strangers. 

andsafetyof     Then  at  last  will  he  abundantly  bless  his  people.     The 

(3 :  18-21)  land  of  Judah  shall  become  astonishingly  fertile  and  at- 
tractive. Never  again  shall  there  be  a  lack  of  water,  nay, 
from  the  temple  itself  a  stream  shall  issue  which  will  turn 
the  arid  ravine  of  the  Acacias  into  a  beautiful  valley. 
Egypt,  however,  so  certain  of  her  fertility,  and  Edom,  our 
exultant  foe,  shall  become  barren  and  desolate,  because  of 
the  unprovoked  massacres  of  Jews  which  they  have  abet- 
ted. Their  innocent  blood  shall  be  avenged  and  remem- 
bered that  all  may  know  that  Jehovah  cares  for  his  own. 
Judah  shall  ever  be  prosperous  and  full  of  people.  Never 
again  shall  Jerusalem  be  destroyed. 


302 


MESSAGES   OF   DOUBT    AND   HOPE 

FROM   THE   CLOSE   OF    THE 

PERSIAN   PERIOD 


MESSAGES    OF   DOUBT  AND  HOPE  FROM 
THE  CLOSE  OF  THE  PERSIAN  PERIOD 


THE    LAST    HALF-CENTURY    OF    PERSIAN    RULE 

The  analogies  between  the  reformations  of  Josiah  and 
Ezra  are  many  and  do  not  cease  with  the  institution  of 
the  respective  codes.  Not  only  were  both  followed  by  a 
seemingly  idyllic  period  of  peace  and  prosperity,  but  each 
also  begat  in  the  minds  of  leaders  and  people  a  false 
conception  of  their  relation  to  Jehovah  which  led  them 
into  overwhelming  political  disasters.  Reasoning  that 
after  such  devotion  as  he  had  shown,  Jehovah  must  grant 
success  to  his  every  act,  Josiah  attacked  the  powerful  army 
of  Necho,  to  learn  only  too  late  his  fatal  mistake.  The 
same  false,  presumptuous  faith  finds  expression  in  the  cor- 
responding later  period.  Now  that  they  were  faithfully 
observing  the  dictates  of  the  law,  they  felt  invincible  and 
looked  expectantly  for  the  speedy  overthrow  of  the  hostile 
nations  which  opposed  and  oppressed  them  (Joel  3  :  9-21). 

During  their  declining  years,  the  Persians,  by  their  cor- 
305 


Isaiah  JiL\<!sa£-rs  of  the 

ruption  and  cruelty,  completely  forfeited  the  esteem  with 
which  they  had  earlier  been  regarded  by  the  Jews.  After 
the  long,  supine  rule  of  Artaxerxes  II.  came  to  an  end  in 
358  B.  C,  Artaxerxes  III.,  better  known  by  his  private 
name,  Ochus,  came  to  the  throne.  He  proved  one  of  the 
crudest  and  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most  energetic 
princes  which  the  ancient  Orient  produced.  His  ability, 
however,  was  not  at  first  manifest.  Egypt  under  native 
kings  had  for  a  long  time  defied  the  authority  of  Persia. 
Early  in  his  reign  Ochus  invaded  the  land  of  the  Nile  with 
a  huge  army,  there  to  meet  with  an  overwhelming  defeat. 
The  states  of  Palestine,  encouraged  by  the  Egyptians, 
were  influenced  by  this  disaster  to  revolt  about  350  B.  C. 
The  Phoenicians,  led  by  the  town  of  Sidon,  headed  the 
rebellion.  Persian  soldiers  and  ofificials  were  murdered 
and  the  rebels  for  several  years  carried  all  before  them, 
since  Ochus,  engaged  in  putting  down  insurrections  in 
other  parts  of  his  empire,  was  unable  to  send  an  army 
against  them. 

In  view  of  these  conditions  it  is  exceedingly  probable 
that  the  Jewish  community  in  Palestine  eagerly  joined  the 
general  rebellion.  If  not  voluntarily,  they  were  led  by 
force  to  unite  with  the  rebels.  The  biblical  narrative 
stops  with  the  reformation  of  Ezra,  and  Josephus  has 
handed  down  only  one  or  two  imperfect  traditions,  so 
that  few  details  have  been  preserved  respecting  this  crit- 
ical epoch  in  Jewish  history. 

306 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah 

Combining,  however,  the  testimony  of  a  variety  of 
sources  (see  Kent, "  History  of  the  Jewish  People,"  230- 
232),  it  appears  that  the  Jews  seriously  compromised  them- 
selves, so  that  when  Ochus  was  finally  at  liberty,  about  346 
B.C.,  to  execute  a  bloody  vengeance  upon  the  rebels  in 
Palestine,  they  were  among  the  victims  of  his  wrath. 
Their  cities  were  captured  and  doubtless  given  over  for 
pillage  to  his  brutal  soldiers.  Not  content  with  slaugh- 
ter, the  conqueror  deported  large  numbers  of  the  Jews 
to  the  province  of  Hyrcania,  south  of  the  Caspian  Sea. 
Thus  by  sword,  by  fire  and  captivity,  the  strength  of  the 
revived  and  reformed  Judean  community  was  again  shat- 
tered. Out  of  a  seemingly  clear  sky  a  thunderbolt  had 
suddenly  fallen.  When  they  had  looked  expectantly  to 
Jehovah  for  vindication  and  exaltation,  their  merciless 
foes  had  been  allowed  to  trample  them  and  their  sacred 
institutions  in  the  mire.  Their  faith  suffered  even  more 
than  their  body  politic  from  the  shock.  The  crisis  was  all 
the  more  intense  because  they  firmly  believed,  as  earlier 
prophets  and  sages  had  taught,  that  righteousness  was 
always  rewarded  by  Jehovah  with  prosperity,  and  con- 
versely that  misfortune  was  a  certain  index  of  divine 
displeasure  ;  and  yet  they  were  conscious  of  having,  as 
never  before  in  the  history  of  their  race,  carefully  carried 
out  the  demands  of  their  God  as  revealed  in  the  Law, 
Through  the  calamities  which  had  overtaken  them, 
not  only  did  they  stand  condemned  in  the  eyes  of  the 
307 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

world,  but  also  Jehovah's  power  and  justice  were  funda- 
mentally questioned. 

II 

THE    LITERATURE    OF    THE    PERIOD 

It  would  have  been  strange  indeed  if  Israel's  inspired 
teachers  had  remained  silent  at  this  great  crisis  in  the 
history  of  their  race.  From  this  otherwise  little  known 
quarter  of  a  century  probably  comes  an  interesting  sec- 
tion of  the  literature  contained  in  the  Old  Testament. 
The  problem  so  graphically  and  fully  presented  in  the 
Book  of  Job  is  exactly  that  of  the  Jewish  community 
at  this  time.  The  situation  after  the  hordes  of  Ochus 
had  devastated  the  land  and  temple  furnishes  an  entirely 
satisfactory  historical  background  for  certain  psalms  like 
the  seventy-fourth  and  seventy-ninth. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  remarkable  section  contained 
in  Isaiah  63  :  7  to  64  :  12.  An  appalling  national  catas- 
trophe wrings  from  the  prophet  a  wild  cry  almost  of 
despair.  In  its  language  and  spirit  the  section  is  closely 
related  to  the  other  post-exilic  chapters  of  the  Book  of 
Isaiah ;  but  in  its  theme  and  teaching  it  stands  unique. 
Its  historical  allusions  and  thought  find  their  most  perfect 
historical  setting  in  the  reign  of  Ochus.  It  is  not  so 
much  a  prophecy  as  a  psalm  of  mingled  thanksgiving  and 
308 


Later  Proplicts  Isaiah 

lamentation.  It  voices  the  feelings  of  the  best  elements 
of  the  community  as  they  gazed  upon  the  ruins  which  the 
brutal  Persian  soldiery  left  behind  them.  It  may  there- 
fore be  dated  about  346  B.  C.  The  author  clearly  writes 
from  the  point  of  view  of  Palestine. 

The  vagueness  of  the  references  and  the  obscurity  of 
the  thought  of  Isaiah  24  to  27  make  it  impossible  to  de- 
termine with  absolute  certainty  its  date.  A  profusion 
of  evidence,  however,  indicates  that  these  chapters  are 
not  from  the  prophet  Isaiah,  but  from  a  much  later  pe- 
riod. They  bear  most  of  the  characteristic  marks  of  late 
post-exilic  prophecy :  indefiniteness,  absence  of  distinct 
historical  allusions,  and  many  lyrical  and  apocalyptic  ele- 
ments. Their  affinities  are  all  with  the  prophecies  of  Joel 
and  the  closing  chapters  of  the  Book  of  Zechariah. 

The  same  is  true  of  their  thought.  There  are  none  of 
the  calls  to  repentance  which  characterize  the  earlier 
prophecies.  Their  tone  is  strongly  legalistic.  The  idea 
of  a  universal  world-judgment  is  exceedingly  prominent. 
The  author  or  authors  live  chiefly  in  the  future  rather  than 
in  the  present,  although  the  meagre  evidence  is  sufficient 
to  indicate  that  their  home  is  in  Palestine.  The  peculiar 
angelology  is  that  of  the  Books  of  Enoch  and  Daniel. 

These  chapters  were  evidently  written  in  the  shadow 
of  a  great  calamity.  The  Jews  are  victims  of  merciless 
foes.  Jerusalem  not  long  before  has  been  devastated. 
Robbers  still  rob.  Great  cities  have  been  laid  low.    These 

309 


Isaiah  Messages  of  the 

references  find  their  exact  counterpart  in  the  destruction  of 
Sidon  and  the  ravaging  of  Palestine  and  Egypt  by  Ochus. 

At  the  same  time  there  is  a  basis  for  hope.  The  world 
is  being  "  turned  upside  down."  Existing  conditions  are 
being  reversed.  From  the  "  far  countries  of  the  sea" 
Jehovah's  avengers  are  advancing.  The  end  of  the  old 
order  is  near,  and  a  new  era  is  dawning.  Again,  the 
years  immediately  following  the  death  of  Ochus,  in  337 
B.  C,  which  witnessed  the  sudden  and  complete  collapse 
of  the  great  Persian  empire  and  the  marvellous  series  of 
victories  which  made  Alexander  master  of  the  East, 
constitute  the  most  satisfactory  background. 

Sudden  transitions  in  thought  and  literary  form  sug- 
gest that  the  chapters  were  not  originally  a  literary  unit, 
but  that  they  represent  two  or  more  independent  compo- 
sitions, coming,  however,  from  the  same  general  period 
and  possibly  from  the  same  author. 


Ill 

THE    WAILS     AND     PETITIONS     OF     THE    DISTRESSED 
JUDEAN    COMMUNITY  (iSA.  63  :  7   TO    64   :    1 2) 

I.  Jehovah's  Past  Acts   of  Deliver a7ice  (63  :  7-14) 

In  the  past  experiences  of  our  race   Jehovah  has  re- 
vealed himself  as  a  God  omnipotent,  kind,  and  merciful. 
310 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  63  :  17 

In  our  moments  of  distress  and  danger  he  has  deUvered  Israel  led  by 

r        •    I  Jehovah  in 

us,  because  we  were  his  people.  In  every  hour  ot  trial  the  past 
he  was  present  in  person  to  uphold  and  save  us.  Only  ^  ^  "  7'^"*^ 
when  our  fathers  refused  to  follow  his  divine  guidance 
did  he  turn  against  and  discipline  them,  that  they  might 
recall  and  appreciate  all  that  he  had  been  and  done  to 
them.  Then  they  remembered  how  he  delivered  their 
leader  Moses,  while  yet  a  helpless  child,  from  the  waters 
of  the  Nile  (Ex.  2  :  3-10),  how  he  revealed  his  will  to  the 
hearts  of  his  people  and  how  he  exercised  his  miraculous 
power  through  Moses  so  that  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea 
were  driven  back  and  they  went  forth  from  the  land  of 
Eg}^pt  into  safety  and  freedom.  Thus,  O  Jehovah,  in  the 
past  didst  thou  gain  great  renown  in  the  eyes  of  mankind 
as  a  God  able  and  eager  to  deliver  thy  people. 

2.  A  Cry  for  Deliverance  from  Present  Calamities 
(63  :  15  to  64  :  12) 

Again  from  thy  heavenly  abode  take  pity  upon  thy  af-  Save,  al- 
fhcted  people.     Reveal  by  an  act  of  deliverance  thy  might,  deliver 
thy  deep  interest,  and  thy  divine  compassion.    Do  not  long  64V 5a] '° 
delay,  for  we  stand  towards  thee  in  the  most  intimate  rela- 
tionship of  love  and  dependence.     Our  venerated  ances- 
tors are  powerless  to  help  us.   Thou  alone  art  eternal  and 
able  to  redeem  in  the  present   as  in   the  past.     Do  not 
drive  us  into  rebellion  by  the  extreme  severity  of  the  judg- 
ment which  thou  art  sending  upon  us.     For  the  sake  of 


Isaiah  63  :  17  Messages  of  the 

those  who  faithfully  serve  thee,  restore  thy  people.  For 
a  brief  period  we  possessed  in  security  our  land  and 
sacred  city,  but  now  our  enemies  have  again  defiled  and 
destroyed  thy  holy  temple.  We  are  as  helpless  in  the 
hands  of  our  cruel  foes  as  though  we  had  no  God  like 
thee  to  claim  and  champion  us.  Oh,  that  thou  wouldst 
reveal  thy  almighty  power  by  some  signal  act  of  deliver- 
ance, so  that  thy  true  character  might  be  made  known  to 
those  who  now  defy  thee  and  that  all  nations  might  revere 
thee.  Surpass  our  fondest  hopes  and  surpass  thy  acts  in 
the  past,  for  the  human  mind  has  not  yet  conceived  of 
what  thou  art  able  and  willing  to  do  for  those  who  put 
their  trust  in  thee.  Oh,  that  thou  wouldst  speedily  thus 
reveal  thyself  to  those  who  are  earnestly  striving  to  follow 
thy  commands. 
The  pitiable  Alas,  the  sad  reality !  Driven  into  doubt  and  defiance  be- 
and  people  cause  of  the  misfortuues  which  thou  hast  sent,  we  have 
(4-5  -12)  gjj^j^g^j  against  thee.  Notwithstanding  our  strenuous  efforts 
to  keep  thy  law  and  do  what  is  right,  we  are  like  one  defiled 
and  ceremonially  unclean.  All  our  strength  and  prosper- 
ity are  gone  and  we  are  crushed  under  the  overpowering 
sense  of  guilt  which  results  from  our  calamities.  Every 
one  of  us  has  ceased  to  look  to  thee  for  deliverance 
and  vindication,  for  thou  hast  given  no  evidence  that  thou 
hast  heard  our  petitions  or  forgiven  the  guilt  of  the  past. 
But  to  thee  alone  can  we  look  for  help,  for  thou  art  our 
creator  and  natural  protector.  Without  thee  we  are  pow- 
312 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  24  :  5 

eriess.  Do  not  cherish  forever  thy  righteous  indignation 
because  of  our  sins.  Be  merciful  and  deliver,  for  the 
eternal,  intimate  relation  between  thee  and  us  still  exists. 
Take  pity  upon  the  cities  of  thy  land,  upon  Jerusalem, 
ravaged  and  desolate.  Our  sacred  temple,  the  object  of 
our  reverence  and  joy,  where  our  fathers  have  worshipped 
thee,  is  burned  with  fire,  and  all  that  we  cherished  is  in 
ruin.  Wilt  thou,  O  Jehovah,  continue  without  interfering, 
to  tolerate  these  things,  and  wilt  thou  continue  to  send 
these  woes  upon  us  .'* 


IV 

THE    FINAL   JUDGMENT     AND     THE    ESTABLISHMENT 

OF  Jehovah's  kingdom  (isa.  24  :   1-23  ; 
25  :  6-8  ;  26  :  20  to  27  :  13) 

I.   The  Overthrow  of  Existing  Conditions  (24  :  1-23) 

Jehovah    has    laid    waste    the  whole    earth,    reversed  Theuniver- 
existing  conditions,  and  scattered  nations  far  and  wide.  jucig^jn°ent^^ 
All  social  distinctions  are  ignored.     Those  in  authority  ^""^  '•  '"3^ 
experience  the  same  fate  as  the  governed,  for  Jehovah 
has  determined  to  make  the  earth  a  universal  desolation. 

Earth  and  heaven  are  fading  away,  because  they  have  Man's  guilt 
been  rendered   unclean  by  the  touch  of  men  who  have  (24  i'^^q 
broken  the  divine  commands  and  proved  faithless  to  the 
313 


The  univer- 
sal sadness 


Isaiah  24  :  6  Messages  of  the 

eternal  covenant  established  after  the  flood  (Gen.  9  : 
1-17).  As  a  result  of  Jehovah's  condemnation,  the  earth 
is  consumed  and  its  guilty  inhabitants,  so  that  only  a  few 
survive. 

The   land,  devasted  by  the  armies  of    Ochus,  fails  to 
(24  : 7-12)      yield  its  ordinary  fruitage.     The  most  hopeful  lose  heart. 
All  expressions  of  joy  cease.     Cities  ^  like  Jerusalem  and 
Sidon  are  shapeless  ruins.     Houses  are  deserted.     Proud 
capitals  are  left  desolate  and  defenceless. 
The  over-         Throughout  the  whole  earth  shall  this  judgment  ex- 
pres^n?      ^  tend.     Only  a  small  remnant  shall  survive.     Distant  na- 
powers         tions   on    the  border    of    the   great   sea   are   arising    to 
(24  :  13-20)    proclaim  Jehovah's  might  and  glory.     His  faithful  people 
shall  in  time  be  recognized  and  honored.     But  for  us  the 
present  brings    only   misery.     We   are    the    victims    of 
shameless  robbers.     Terrors,  toils,  and  traps^  await  man- 
kind at   every  turn,  and  there  is  no   escape.      One  ca- 
tastrophe follows  another  in  quick  succession.  The  present 
order  of  things  is  being  overturned.     The  Persian  empire 
is  going  to  pieces  and  new  world-powers  are  arising  on 
the  distant  horizon.     Already  the  general  dissolution  has 
begun. ^     The  quiet  of  mankind  leaves  no  hope  that  the 
present  conditions  will  survive  or  be  restored. 

*  The  Septuagint  reads  for  "  city  of  chaos,"  "  every  city." 
'  Hebrew,  pdkhad  lua-pdkhaht  iva-pdkh. 

3  The  language  of  verse  20  represents  onomatopoetically  the  breaking  and 
cracking  of  the  earth. 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  25  :  8 

In    the   coming   day   of   judgment   Jehovah    will    take  Jehovahs 

,  ,        .    ,  ,      ,  .  ,  overthrow  of 

vengeance  upon  the  celestial  patrons  of  the  nations  and  present 
upon  the  earthly  potentates  who  rule  over  them.     To- j^'.^^^^^^'^'^p 
eether  shall  they  be  cast  into  a  dungeon,'  where  they  shall  ^'on  of  di- 

**  -'  o  J  ,.gj,(  govern- 

be  confined  until  Jehovah  shall  execute  still  further  ven-ment 
geance  upon  them.     Marvellous  changes  shall  also  take  ^^  '  ^^'^^ 
place  in  heaven  and  on  earth,  for  then  Jehovah  himself  will 
set  up  his  kingdom  with  his  capital  at  Jerusalem  and  rule 
directly  over  his  people,  introducing  the  old  simple  tribal 
organization. 

2.   The  Nature  of  Jehovah'' s  Universal  Rule   (25  :  6-8) 

In  that  coming  day,  when  he  assumes  his  earthly  rule.  The  joy 
and  on  this  sacred  site,  Jehovah,  the  supreme  Lord  of  all,  vah-'sruie  "' 
will  as  host  give  to  all  mankind  the  highest  temporal  and  ^/J'^'^'i^fnd" 
spiritual  blessings.     Then  will  he  remove  the  causes  of  (25 :  6-8) 
grief  from  all  peoples  and  wipe  away  from  every  face  the 
tears  which  symbolize  inward  sorrow.     Even  death,  the 
most  fertile  source  of  grief,  shall  cease  to  be.     Then  will 
he  also  remove  completely  the  ignominy  which  has  so 
long  bowed   down  his   chosen   people.      This   new   and 
glorious  rdgime  shall  surely  be  a  reality,  because  Jehovah 
has  decreed  it. 

1  Compare  Enoch  i8  :  i.vi6;    2  Peter  2:4;  Jude  6;  Rev.  20  :  2,  3. 


Isaiah  26  :  20  Messages  of  the 


3.   Jehovah's   Unceasing  Care  for  His  People  (26  :  20 
to  27  :  13) 

The  present      Painful  are  the  woes  and  carnage  of  the  present,  but 

fudyment*     they  will  continue  only  for  a  brief  period.     Endure  them 

(26 :  20,  21)  ^g  j^ggj.  yQ^  ^^^^  Q  chosen  people,  for  in  this  way  Jehovah 

is  executing  judgment  upon  the  guilty  world.     Soon  the 

crimes  and  bloodshed  of  the  present  will  be  revealed  in 

the  sight  of  all  and  will  be  avenged  by  Jehovah. 

Jehovah  will      Like   the   god   Marduk  in   the   old   Babylonian  myth, 

peopi?from  Jehovah   will    slay   with    his  invincible   sword   the    evil 

fif  assmU^*^"  monsters,  the  terrible,  bloodthirsty  nations— Egypt,  Persia, 

ants  and  Greece — which  attack  his  people.     He  declares  that 

(27 :  1-6) 

he  will  unremittingly  watch  over  them  as  over  a  highly 

valued  vineyard.^  Carefully  will  he  supply  their  every 
need.  Hostile  foes  in  their  midst  will  he  destroy,  or  if 
they  turn  to  him  in  faith  they  will  find  him  ready  to  re- 
ceive and  protect  and  eager  to  be  reconciled  to  them. 
Under  his  benign  care  the  remnant  of  his  people  shall 
grow  again  into  a  strong  and  prosperous  nation  which 
shall  confer  rich  blessings  upon  all  mankind. 

Terrible  as  have  been  the  misfortunes  which  have 
overtaken  them,  Jehovah  has  not  punished  his  people  as 
severely  as  he  has  their  conquerors  and  oppressors.     If 

1  Evidently  the  prophet  purposely  draws  a  contrast  to  the  parable  of  the 
vineyard  in  Isaiah  5. 

316 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  25  :  4 

they  would  expiate  their  guilt  so  as  to  secure  his  forgive-  His  con- 
ness,  let  them  destroy  completely  the  last  vestiges  of  the  treatment  of 
old  idolatry.     True,  their  fortified  cities  are  now  destroyed  ["j^e^^ast'^  '" 
and  the  inhabitants  scattered  in  exile,  but  it  is  because  (27 : 7-1O 
their  folly  has  made  it  impossible  for  their  Creator  and 
Lord  to  show  his  mercy. 

In    the  coming  day,  however,  Jehovah  will   carefully  Re-estab- 
separate   his   people   from    the   mixed    population,  now /he "jews*  in 
found  in  the  territory  which  once  belonged  to  Israel,  and  J^^'^^j^":  ) 
will  preserve  his  own,  eliminating  all  foreign  elements. 
He  will  also  summon  all  Jewish  exiles  in   the  east  and 
west  and  they  will  return  to  worship  him  in  his  sacred  city 
Jerusalem. 


SONGS    OF    THANKSGIVING    TO    JEHOVAH    (iSA. 

25  :  1-5  ;  25  :  9  to  26  :  19) 

Worthy  of  highest    praise  art  thou,    O   Jehovah,   be-Hisomnip- 
cause  of  thy  marvellous  acts  and  because  of  the  certainty  j'uluce 
with  which  thou  dost  fulfil  thy  prophetic  word.     Mighty  ^^5=  i-s) 
cities  (like  Tyre  and  Sidon)  protected  by  frowning  battle- 
ments, hast  thou  made  barren  wastes.    Even  the  heathen, 
beholding,  are  impressed  and  honor  and  praise  thy  name. 
Tyrants  tremble  bclore  thee.     To  the  weak  and  oppressed 
thou  hast  always  shown  thyself  a  champion  in  the  time 
317 


Isaiah  25  :  5  Messages  of  the 

of  direst  need ;  but  insolent  tyrants  have  received  their 

just  retribution  from  thy  hand. 
A  champion      In  the  coming  days  we  will  exult  as  we  look  back  upon 
(25  Tg-^iT)^    the  deliverance  from  our  enemies  which  Jehovah  is  about 

to  effect.     He  will  protect  and  strengthen  Jerusalem,  but 

her  old  foes  shall  be  overthrown  and  humiliated,  and  no  art 

or  effort  will  save  them. 
He  saves  Then  will  we  praise  Jehovah  because  he  has  given  us 

those  who  .  it-  i  i        i  •       i-    •  .    , 

trust  in  him  an  impregnable  city,  protected  by  his  divine  might,  as  our 
{26 :  1-6)       abode.     Its   gates  shall  be  opened  for  his   upright,  re- 
deemed people.     Therein  will  he  preserve  in  safety  every- 
one who   steadfastly  trusts    in    him.     Therefore   let   not 
your  faith  in  him  waver.     If  you  desire  evidence  of  his 
might,  consider  how  he  has  thrown  down  that  proud  and 
powerful  city  Tyre,  so  that  the  humblest  man  can  trample 
upon  the  dust  of  its  ruins. 
He  will  yet       Prosperity  and  peace  thou  givest,  O  Lord,  to  those  who 
peopfe^from  ^0  right.     Thy  commandments  we  have  kept  and  to  thee 
J^J^g""  "^PP''^^"  we  have  given  our  adoration  and  praise.     Thou  art  the 
(26 :  7-14)     object  of  our   heart's   deepest  love.     To   thee   we   have 
looked  for  vindication.     Only  by  the   execution   of   thy 
righteous  judgments  canst  thou  teach  the  wicked  inhabi- 
tants of  the  earth  what  is  right,  for,  if  thou  in  mercy  spar- 
est them,  they  continue  in  their  evil  course,  ignorant  of 
thy  omnipotent  rule.     Therefore  let  the  thunderbolts  of 
thy  wrath   descend  upon  thy  enemies  who  destroy  thy 
people.     Thus  deliver  and  give  us  prosperity,  for  we  are 

318 


Later  Prophets  Isaiah  26  :  19 

weak  and  dependent  upon  thee  alone.  Hostile  earthly 
rulers  have  usurped  thy  authority  and  dominate  us.  We 
have  no  saviour  beside  thee.  To  thee  we  look  for  deliv- 
erance. Surely  thou  wilt  save  us.  Already  the  work  has 
begun.  Egypt,  Assyria,  and  Babylonia  are  dead  and  will 
never  rise  again  from  the  land  of  shades  to  oppress  us. 
Persia  is  tottering  to  its  ruin.  Soon  thou  wilt  have  com- 
pletely destroyed  all  those  mighty  nations  which  rule  over 
us  so  that  there  will  not  even  be  a  remembrance  of  them. 

Thou  didst  for  a  brief  period   revive  our  nation    andHewillcom- 

pletely 

swell  its  numbers  through  the  return  of  many  of  its  loyal  revive  the 
sons.  Thou  didst  extend  our  narrow  boundaries.  Inourtion'^ 
time  of  trouble  when  thou  didst  in  thy  wisdom  discipline  ^^^  •  ^5-^9) 
us  we  still  looked  to  thee  for  help.  Mortal  agony,  like 
the  pangs  of  a  woman  in  childbirth,  came  upon  us  when 
we  strove  but  in  vain  to  deliver  our  land  from  the  cruel 
oppressor  (Ochus  ?)  and  to  institute  thy  righteous  king- 
dom on  earth.  Alas !  our  efforts  were  futile.  Before  the 
cruel  tyrant  thousands  of  loyal  patriots  fell ;  but  these 
martyrs  shall  rise  again  from  the  dead  to  participate  in 
the  glories  of  Jehovah's  Messianic  kingdom  and  to  receive 
their  rewards.  Their  immortal  souls  shall  be  like  seed 
sown  in  the  earth  which  shall  germinate  and  spring  into 
new  life  under  the  influence  of  the  dew  from  Jehovah. 
Thus  the  spirits  of  the  faithful  dead  shall  rise  from  the 
land  of  shades  to  enjoy  life  on  earth. 


319 


MESSAGES     OF    PROMISE   TO     THE 
JEWS   IN   THE   GREEK   PERIOD 


MESSAGES   OF    PROMISE    TO    THE  JEWS 
IN  THE  GREEK  PERIOD 


I 


THE    AUTHORSHIP     AND    HISTORICAL     BACKGROUND 
OF    ZECHARIAH    9-14 

The  transition  from  the  eighth  to  the  ninth  chapter  of 
the  book  of  Zechariah  is  very  abrupt  and  marked.  No 
longer  does  the  prophet  at  specified  times  speak  in  the 
first  person  to  a  clearly  defined  audience.  The  author's 
name  is  not  mentioned  and  the  circumstances  under 
which  he  speaks  are  obscure.  So  wholly  different  are  the 
tone,  style,  allusions,  and  theme  of  the  later  chapters  from 
those  of  the  first  eight  that  there  would  probably  be  no 
thought  of  identifying  their  authors  if  all  had  not  been 
combined  into  one  book. 

These  differences  raise  one  of  the  most  perplexing 
questions  in  biblical  criticism.  The  great  majority  of 
scholars  hold  that  they  indicate  that  chapters  1-8  and 
chapters  9-14  are  from  different  hands,  but  there  exists  a 
wide  difference  of  opinion  regarding  the  date  of  the  later 
323 


Zechariah  Messages  of  the 

section  and  its  unity.  Some  think  that  chapters  9-14 
are  pre-exilic,  chiefly  on  the  ground  of  the  allusions  to  Da- 
mascus, Ephraim,  Philistia,  Assyria,  and  Egypt. 

Such  a  question  as  this  must  be  answered  by  studying 
the  general  character  and  force  of  the  prophecies  under 
consideration.  Thus  regarded  it  seems  most  probable  that 
Zechariah  9-14  is  of  post-exilic  origin,  not  from  the  Baby- 
lonian or  Persian,  but  from  the  Greek  period.  After  Alex- 
ander the  Great  had  made  his  rapid  conquest  of  Asia  and 
closed  his  career,  his  great  empire  was  divided,  after  much 
conflict,  among  his  generals.  Judah  for  more  than  a 
century  became  a  bone  of  contention  between  the  de- 
scendants of  Ptolemy,  who  founded  a  kingdom  in  Egypt  in 
322,  and  the  Seleucids,  who  a  little  later  established  their 
capital  at  Antioch  and  acquired  the  control  of  all  Syria. 
In  these  circumstances  the  historical  allusions  to  Damas- 
cus, Hamath,  Phoenicia,  and  Philistia  become  once  more 
perfectly  natural ;  while  the  general  apocalyptic  character 
of  the  utterances  accounts  for  the  symbolic  use  of  the  terms 
Egypt  and  Assyria  to  denote  the  two  nations  who  were 
fiercely  struggling  to  establish  a  control  over  hapless 
Judah,  and  for  the  use  of  the  words  Ephraim  and  Israel 
to  indicate  Judah.  Almost  every  argument  for  a  pre-exilic 
date  (700-600)  applies  quite  as  well  to  this  Greek  period. 

Three  reasons  in  particular  confirm  the  general  con- 
clusion that  these  chapters  as  a  whole— with  possibly 
slight  exceptions — belong  to  a  time  subsequent  to  Alex- 

324 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah 

ander's  conquests,  not  far  from  the  first  half  of  the  third 
century  B.  C.  The  Greeks  are  referred  to,  not  as  in  Joel 
as  a  distant  nation  of  slave-buyers,  but  as  a  leading 
heathen  power,  already  in  conflict  with  the  Jews  (9  :  13). 
Again  the  general  theme  of  the  chapters  is  a  bloody  con- 
flict between  Judah  and  her  oppressors,  terminating  in  a 
destructive  judgment  from  Jehovah  upon  all  of  Judah's 
foes.  Such  a  theme  connects  these  chapters  wnth  Ezekiel, 
Isaiah  24-27  and  Joel,  rather  than  with  pre-exilic  proph- 
ecy. Finally  the  oracles  of  the  chapters  are  not  the 
practical,  personal  predictions  and  exhortations  of  the 
earlier  prophets,  intended  to  encourage,  comfort,  or  rebuke 
contemporaries,  but  the  fervid  apocalypses  of  the  latest 
period  which  turned  all  eyes  toward  a  certain  future  and 
assured  aching  hearts  of  the  final  triumph  of  Jehovah's 
kingdom. 

It  is  not  possible  to  furnish  an  exact  setting  for  each 
prophetic  oracle.  The  coming  of  the  Prince  of  Peace  in 
chapter  9  seems  clearly  to  have  been  the  correlate  of  the 
victorious  march  from  upper  Syria  southward  of  some 
conqueror,  probably  of  Alexander  the  Great.  The  next 
four  chapters,  with  their  story  of  oppressive  foreign  rulers 
on  north  and  south,  of  a  people  forgetful  of  Jehovah  and 
unresponsive,  of  a  disunited  Judah,  but  of  a  repentant 
and  earnest  future,  find  a  satisfying  background  in  the 
struggles  of  the  Ptolemies  and  Seleucids  over  the  hapless 
Jews   during  the  years  following   300  B.  C.     Some   few 

325 


Zechariah  9:1  Messages  of  the 

scholars  have  argued  that  an  equally  satisfactory  historical 
setting  would  be  found  still  later  in  the  Maccabean  age, 
but  the  fact  that  these  chapters  are  found  in  the  prophetic 
canon  argues  for  a  date  prior  to  200  B.  C. 

Whether  the  utterances  of  chapters  9-14  came  from 
one  writer  or  from  more  than  one  is  uncertain.  The  gen- 
eral trend  of  scholarly  opinion  may  be  said  to  be  in  favor 
of  the  unity  of  the  section. 


II 

THE    COMING    OF    ALEXANDER    AND    THE    PRINCE    OF 
PEACE     (9) 

I.    The  Advance  of  the  Conqueror  (9  :  1-8) 

Jehovah's         Have  confidence,  O  Judah,  in  view  of  the  approaching 
^Syifa"^^"  °"  danger,  remembering  that  Jehovah,  our  God,  rules  over 
(9  ■•  i-2a)       j.j^g  universe.     It  is  he  who  guides  the  destinies  of  man- 
kind, of  the  heathen  and  of  his  people  alike.     He   has 
pronounced   judgment  against    the    inhabitants    of    the 
Orontes  Valley  and  of  Damascus.     His  conquering  army 
shall    destroy   them   and    advance   to   further   conquest. 
Phoenicia      Neither  Tyre's  ample  resources  nor  her  fancied  strength 
(9  :^2b-4)       nor  Sidon's  cleverness  and  skill  will  avail  to  save  Phoeni- 
cia from  its  fate.     The  huge  walls  of  Tyre  shall  be  top- 
pled into  the  sea  and  her  palaces  be  consumed  by  fire. 
326 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  9:14 

Onward  will  the  victors  march,  to  the  terror  and  dismay  Phiiistia  to 
of  the  cities  of  Phiiistia.     Ekron  will  be  humiliated,  Gaza  ['g  :''^57^'''^ 
will   lose  her  independence,  and   Ashkelon   will  be  laid 
waste.     In  place  of  the  haughty  and  proud  inhabitants  of 
Phiiistia,  an  ignoble  half-breed  race,  delighting  in  idola- 
trous sacrificial  feasts,  shall  possess  the  land.  In  time  they  The  con- 
will  be  cleansed  from  these  pollutions  and  prepared  for  TheiT wufbe- 
incorporation  within  the  commonwealth  of  Israel.     They  J°'J^^^j.^P'* 
will  become  a  recognized  part'  of  Judah,  and  gradually,  like  (9 :  6-9) 
the  Jebusites  of  old,  they  will  be  merged  into  the  nation. 

Then  will  Jehovah  himself  guard  his  people  from  all  Jerusalsm 

f  ,  1     ,.  .  ,    ,        shall  be  safe 

future  attack ;  no  conqueror  shall  agam  pass  to  and  fro,  forever 
for  the  land  is  under  his  special  care.  ^ " 

2.    The  Co7iflict  with  the  Greeks  (9  :  13-17) 

Before  the  days  of  perfect  peace  can  come  Jehovah  will  Judah  to  be 
use  Israel  as  his  instrument  of  vengeance  upon  the  Greeks,  weapon 
As  a  well-appointed  warrior  will  Judah  enter  upon  the  gifg^igg*^'^ 
task.    Jehovah  himself  will  lead  his  hosts  to  victory,  mani-  (9  :  13) 
festing  his  presence  by  the  destructive  phenomena  of  nat- 
ure.    With  his  aid  they  will  make  a  wholesale  destruc- 
tion of   their  enemies,  slaughtering  them  without  mercy  Their  ter- 
until  each  warrior  is  red  with  blood,  like  the  corners  of  the  [Lr  ^  ^  ^"^' ' 
great  altar  of  sacrifice.     Re-established  in  their  own  land,  ^^  '  '^^"^^^ 
Jehovah   will  give   them    great    plenty   and    prosperity. 

1  By   a  slight   change    of  vowels  "  chieftain  "  may  be   read  as    "thou- 
sand "  or  clan. 


Zechariah  9:15  Messages  of  the 

judah's        Happy  will  the  people  then  be.     Their  young  men  will  be 
pfemy^""^     strong  and  their  maidens  beautiful. 


(9 :  16,  17) 


3.   The  Promised  Prince  of  Peace  (9  :  9-12] 


The  coming      Therefore,  O  Zion,  prepare  to  welcome  your  long  ex- 

sianic  King  pected  king.     After  these  enemies  have  been  disposed  of, 

^  ^  ■  ^^         he  will  enter  the  holy  city,  vindicated  and  victorious,  yet 

lowly  as  becomes  the  servant  of  Jehovah,  riding  not  upon 

a  war-horse  as  if  in  triumph,  but  upon  an  ass  in  token  of 

His  peaceful  his  peaceful  sway.     The  implements  of  warfare — chariots, 

(^f  10)         chargers,  weapons,  no  longer  needed,  he  will  destroy.    He 

will  proclaim  a  universal  peace  to  all  the  world,  and  be 

accepted  as  its  Lord.     "  From  the  cheerless  dungeons  of 

His  deliver-  cxilc,"  says  Jchovah, "  I  will  set  free,  O  Zion,  the  captives, 

fsh'captiier  because  of  the  offering  of  their  blood  so  freely  made  by 

(9:11, 12)    |.^g  people   in   this   conflict.     You  who  are  still  in  prison, 

forego  not  hope.     Jehovah  will  recompense  you  twofold 

for  your  sufferings." 

Ill 

THE      FORTUNES     OF     THE      JEWS     UNDER     THEIR 
GREEK    MASTERS    (1O-13) 

I.  fehovah's   Indignation   against  Their    Tyrants  and 

His  Restoration  of  His  People  (10) 

O  my  people,  never  fail  to  seek  Jehovah  as  the  source 

of  every  needed  blessing.     He  is  willing  and  able  to  grant 

328 


Later  PropJicts  Zechariah  lo:  lo 

unto  men  the  rain  in  its  season  and  the  produce  of  the  Jehovah. 
field.     Neither  household  images  nor  doers  of  enchant-  source" of 
ment  nor  interpreters  of  dreams  are  of  any  real  help.    Be-  (','^^^:^"2) 
cause  you  have  had  recourse  to  them,  you  are  now  like 
sheep  without  a  shepherd,    scattered,  disorganized,  and 
helpless,  the  prey  of  those  who  should  care  for  you. 

"  My  wrath  is  kindled,"  saith  Jehovah, '*  against  these  ^'s  wrath 

"^  against  Ju- 

false  leaders,  these  foreign  rulers,  who  have  so  misused  dah's  foreign 
you.  I  will  display  my  power  in  behalf  of  Judah,  trans-  ("Sfrs'-s^^ 
forming  my  poor,  timid,  leaderless  sheep  into  bold  and 
valiant  war-horses  and  equipping  them  with  reliable 
leaders,  skilled  in  warfare  and  resolute  to  gain  every  ad- 
vantage. Then  will  they  overcome  the  proud  warriors 
with  ease  and  put  to  rout  the  dreaded  cavalry. 

"  Then  will  I  strengthen  and  redeem  my  people,  restor-  By  his  power 
ing  those  carried  off  to  captivity  into  Egypt  and  Syria,  will  be  re- 
I    will  bring  them  back    home,   forgive  all   their   trans-  blessed 
gressions,  and  establish  with  them  a  close  relationship  of  ^'°"  ^''^^ 
confidence  and  affection.     With  courage  and  hope  the 
hearts  of  my  people  shall  be  thrilled.    From  every  quarter 
will  I  summon  them,  for  I  have  prepared  the  way  for 
their  national  reinstatement  and  for  an  increase  in  num- 
bers as  remarkable  as  that  of  old.     However  distant  may 
have  been  their  place  of  captivity  they  have  never  ceased 
to  remember  and  honor  my    name  and  to    wait  for  the 
day  of  deliverance  and  restoration.   From  south  and  north 
will  I  gather  them  and  settle  them   in   the  places   dear 

329 


Zechariah  lo:  lo  Messages  of  the 

from  old  association,  crowded  though  these  may  become. 
Like  Israel  of  old  they  shall  pass  under  my  guidance  and 
protection  through  the  Egyptian^  sea.  All  that  opposes 
their  departure,  whether  it  be  the  river  of  Egypt  or  its 
ruler  or  the  indomitable  will  of  their  former  masters,  shall 
be  swept  aside.  I  will  be  their  rock  and  fortress ;  in  my 
name  shall  they  openly  exult." 

2.    The  Rejection    and  Murder   of  the  Good  Shepherd 
(II  :  1.17;  13  :7-9) 

The  success-      Alas,  what  sorrow  awaits  the  Syrian  kingdom.     Over 

ful  war  .  ^  & 

against  Syria  its  bulwark,  lofty  Lebanon,  shall  sweep  a  destructive  fire  ; 

■  ^'^'       the  famous  oaks  of  Bashan  will  be  felled  by  the  foe.    Hear 

the  lamentations  of  its  rulers  whose  resources  are  cut  off, 

as  lions  roar  whose  lairs  have  been  destroyed  by  fire,  the 

nobles  shall  bewail  their  demolished  fortresses. 

command  to      ^^  "^^  Jchovah  gavc  an  important  commission.     "  Be 

properly       a  truc   shcphcrd,"  he  commanded,  "  to  my  poor  sheep, 

judah  so   abused  by  those  who  have  ruled  over  them.     Their 


(II  :  4-6) 


foreign  masters  have  treated  them  as  brute  beasts  with- 
out remorse  or  mercy,  exulting  in  their  value  as  property. 
[I  am  about  to  visit  mankind  in  judgment  and  to 
abandon  the  nations  to  the  will  of  their  arbitrary  and 
cruel  rulers.]" 

So  I  entered  on  the    task    assigned  me    and    became 

1  Following  a  plausible  conjecture  by  Wellhausen,  adopted  by  Nowack 
and  G.  A.  Smith. 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  ii  :  i6 

the  shepherd  of  the  maltreated  flock  in  place  of  their  The  failure 
mercenary  owners.'  As  symbols  of  my  office  I  took  two  et's  auempt 
staves,  naming  them,  respectively,  Grace  and  Union,  to  ^"  •  7'"*^ 
betoken  God's  loving  care  for  Israel  and  the  spirit  of  con- 
cord which  I  hoped  to  establish.  I  quickly  dealt  with  the 
evil  shepherds  whom  I  displaced,  but  the  fickle  people 
grew  weary  of  my  just  rule  and  our  connection  came  to 
an  end.  Announcing  to  them  that  they  must  henceforth 
suffer  the  legitimate  consequences  of  their  deeds,  I  openly 
broke  the  staff  Grace  in  token  that  Jehovah's  protection 
was  at  an  end.  For  my  hire  they  gave  me  contempt- 
uously the  wages  of  a  common  slave,  thirty  silver  pieces. 
This  money,  at  Jehovah's  direction,  I  cast  into  the  temple 
treasury'^  to  indicate  that  my  service  was  wholly  as  his 
representative,  and  that  they  had  rejected  him,  not  me.  I 
then  broke  the  stafT  Union  also  in  token  of  the  failure  to 
reunite  the  people.  i 

Jehovah  then  commanded  me  to  assume  the  insignia  of  Jehovah's  i 

,         ,         ,    ,  ,  .        .  r  ,  1  1     J  1  •     punishment  I 

a  shepherd,  but  this  time  of  one  who  would  destroy  his  of  the  rcheis  | 

flock  instead  of  ministering  to  it.     "I  am  about  to  ap- ^"  • '^'^^^  I 

point  a  cruel  ruler,"  he  said,  "  who  will  neglect  them  and 
pursue  his  own  advantage.  Then  indeed  they  will  appre- 
ciate what  I  was  willing  and  eager  to  do  in  their  behalf. 

>  Following  the  Septuagint,  "  therefore  the  poor  of  the  flock  "  (v.  7) 
should  be  read  "  for  the  Canaanites  {i.e.,  merchant-owners)  of  the  flock." 
So  in  V.  II. 

2  By  the  change  of  a  letter  the  word  "potter"  becomes  "treasury." 
The  last  clause  of  v.  13  seems  to  justify  this  change. 


Zechariah  ii  :  17  Messages  of  the 

Nevertheless  I  will  in  due  time  punish  for  his  wickedness 
the  worthless  ruler,  to  whom  I  shall  abandon  them." 
The  murder      "  Arise,  O  sword,  and  slay  my  true  shepherd  and  fellow- 

of  the  good 

shepherd       workcr,"   Jehovah  will  say,  "  that  the  ungrateful   people 

s^quenceT*  ^n^y  realize  what  they  have  done  to  their  own  despite. 

(13  :  7-9)       Without  protectors  they  will   be  scattered  and  broken, 

both  old  and  young.    Two-thirds  of  the  people  will  perish, 

but  the  remainder  by  these  terrible  trials  will  be  purged 

of  guilt  and  will  gladly  acknowledge  me  as  their  God." 

3.    The    Certain    Deliverance   of  Imperilled  Jerusalem  ' 
(12  :  I  Z^*  13  :  6) 

Jerusalem         Jehovah  of  hosts,  the  creator  of  the  universe  and  of 

besieged  but  ,  ,  .        .  ... 

delivered  by  man,  the  One  whose  promise  is  very  sure,  gives  this  mes- 
(fa^ri-So  s^§^^  °^  comfort  to  you,  O  beloved  city  !  "  I  am  about  to 
expose  you  to  a  determined  assault  from  enemies  among 
whom  even  the  people  of  Judah  will  be  numbered. 
But  those  who  eagerly  gather  to  consume  your  treas- 
ures, as  revellers  quaff  huge  bowls  of  wine,  will  find  the 
draught  overpowering,  Jerusalem  shall  be  like  a  bowlder 
deeply  set  in  the  earth.  Those  who  try  to  move  her  will 
only  wound  themselves  in  vain.  I  will  smite  with  a  panic 
the  armies  which  gather  against  her,  but  I  will  show  my 
favor  unto  Judah  and  lead  her  chieftains  to  acknowledge 
that  I  am  protecting  Jerusalem,  so  that  they  will  turn 
against  their  former  allies  and  destroy  them.  Jerusalem 
shall  remain  unharmed,  but  Judah  shall  be  allowed  to 
332 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  13:4 

gain  the  victory  in  order  that  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem 
may  have  no  occasion  to  boast  of  their  prowess." 

As  one  result  of  this  deliverance,  Jehovah  will  trans-  The  various 
form  feeble  Jerusalem  into  a  formidable  fortress.  •  Even  this  deiiver- 
the   lame   and   feeble   folk   shall  be  as  valiant  as   King  ^^^^.  g  ^^ 
David,  while   their   leaders   shall   be   like   the   angel   of  ^3 : 6) 
Jehovah    in    might.     Although   Jehovah  will  aim  to   de- 
stroy the  hostile  nations,  he  will   endue  his  own  people 
with  a  spirit  of  deep  and  sincere  penitence.     Instead  of 
giving  way  to  wild   rejoicings  at  their  deliverance,  they 
will  mourn  bitterly  for  the  good    shepherd,  whom  they 
brutally  murdered,  giving  unrestrained  expression  to  their 
grief  as  on  great  national  mourning  days.    Every  member 
of  every  family  in  all  the  land  will  join  in  this  heartfelt 
repentance. 

A  third  result  of  Jerusalem's  deliverance  shall  be  the 
opening  of  a  fountain  of  purification,  at  which  all  her  sin 
and  filth  may  be  removed.  But  above  all,  Jehovah 
promises  to  abolish  the  very  names  and  memory  of  the 
idols  which  once  were  revered,  and  to  remove  from  their 
position  of  influence  the  base  prophets  and  all  who  are 
given  over  to  evil.  Since  the  prophets  as  a  class  have  be- 
come mere  mercenary,  untruthful  professionals,  whose 
nearest  relatives  feel  compelled  to  silence  or  slay  them, 
they  are  no  longer  worth  maintaining.  So  completely  will 
they  be  under  the  ban  that  they  shall  cease  to  boast  of 
their  visions  and  to  wear  rough  cloaks  of  skin,  like  Elijah, 


Zechariah  13.  5  Messages  of  the 

and  will  claim  instead  that  they  are  farmers.  When  one 
of  these  is  asked  concerning  his  wounded  hands,  he 
will  reply,  evasively,  "  I  received  these  wounds  from  my 
friends." 


IV 

THE    JUDGMENT    OF    THE     HEATHEN     AND     EXALTA- 
TION   OF    JERUSALEM    (14) 

The  capture      Behold   a  day  is  approaching,  O  Jerusalem,  when  Je- 

nf  lerusalem  ,-    .        .      ,  .  , 

by  the  heath- hovah  Will  manifest  himself  in  judgment  against  the  na- 
requfted"^^^^  tions  and  in  redemption  for  his  own  people.     He  will  first 
(14:  17)       cause  the  pagan  peoples  to  assemble  before  the  city  for 
war.     They  shall  be  successful,  spoiling  the  city,  doing 
their  will  upon  the  inhabitants,  carrying  half  of  them  into 
captivity.     Then   will  Jehovah    arise   to  protect  the  re- 
mainder.   When  he  takes  his  stand  on  the  Mount  of  Olives 
an  earthquake  shall  split  the  mountain  into  halves,  mak- 
ing a  deep  ravine  between  the  sundered  portions.     The 
day  shall  be  a  day  of  gloom  ;  panic  will  seize  upon  all 
hearts  ;  but  when  Jehovah  has  manifested  his  prowess  and 
accomplished  his  purpose,  the  gloom  will  be  exchanged 
for  light. 
Jerusalem's       ^^  that  time  a  stream  of  pure  and  sparkling  water  shall 

prospenty  '  1  j 

andexalta-    flow  forth  without  ccasiug  from  Jerusalem,  east  and  west, 
(h":  8-11)     to  fertilize  the  land.     Jehovah  will  then  be  the  undisputed 

334 


Later  Prophets  Zechariah  14  :  20 

king  of  the  earth  ;  no  deity  shall  be  compared  to  him. 
The  country  round  about  Jerusalem  shall  be  made  into  a 
vast  plain,  the  city  being  exalted  in  its  midst  and  rebuilt 
as  before.  The  city  shall  be  perfectly  secure.  Never 
again  will  there  be  need  of  a  destructive  divine  judg- 
ment upon  her. 

Meanwhile  those  nations  which  dared  to   attack   the  The  awful 

judgment  of 

city  shall  miserably  perish  in  their  very  tracks,  smitten  the  nations 
with  a  loathsome  plague.     [Stimulated  '  by  Jehovah  they  ^^^  '  '^''^ 
shall  put  each  other  to  death.     Judah  shall  fight  against 
Jerusalem  and  much  spoil  shall  be  gathered  from  the  na- 
tions.]    Similarly  it  shall  affect  the  animals  which  they 
possess. 

The  survivors  of  these  heathen  nations  will  go  up  to  The  penalty 
Jerusalem  each  year  to  worship  Jehovah  and  observe  the  °o  oLerve^t 
feast    of    booths,   when  all    are    accustomed    to  return  Jj^^^/Jlj^j^f 
thanksgiving   for  bountiful  harvests.     Should  any  fail  to  ?j^^.^[5.^j^')" 
do   this,  their    punishment   will    be    the   withholding    of 
rain.     Even  Eg\'pt  will  suffer  this  penalty  if  she  trans- 
gresses. 

At  that  time  Jerusalem  shall  become  truly  a  holy  city,  ^e  perfect 

-'  1  holiness  of 

All  that  stands  for  display  or  power  shall  be  consecrated  Jerusalem 
publicly  to  Jehovah.     So   vast   shall   be  the   multitudes  ^^'^ "  ^°' ^^ 
thronging  to  take  part  in  the  temple  services  that  the  pots 
used  for  ordinary  purposes  shall  be  as  large  as  the  great 

*  Verses  13   and  14  clearly  break  the  connection  between  verses  12  and 
15.     Where  to  place  them  is  not  clear. 

335 


Zechariah  14  :  21 


altar  bowls,  and  every  pot  in  Jerusalem  and  Judah  shall 
be  consecrated  for  use  in  the  1 
not  in  sympathy  with  the  true  f 
shall  ever  again  set  foot  therein. 


be  consecrated  for  use  in  the  ritual.     No  person  who  is 

not  in  sympathy  with  the  true  purposes  of  the  sanctuary  I 


336 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  BOOK  OF 
JONAH 


THE  MESSAGE  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  JONAH 


THE  DATE  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  JONAH 

Like  most  of  the  writings  of  the  later  prophets,  the  su- 
perscription of  the  Httle  Book  of  Jonah  says  nothing  re- 
specting its  date.  Fortunately  there  are  certain  internal 
evidences  which  aid  in  answering  this  difficult  and  impor- 
tant question.  The  hero  of  the  story  is  without  much 
doubt  to  be  identified  with  the  Jonah,  son  of  Amittai,  the 
northern  Israelitish  prophet  who,  according  to  2  Kings 
14  :  25,  lived  during  the  reign  of  Jeroboam  II.  (780-741 
B.  C).  It  is  obvious,  however,  that  neither  Jonah  nor  one 
of  his  contemporaries  is  the  author  of  the  present  book. 
This  is  indicated  to  the  Hebrew  student  by  the  presence 
of  certain  peculiar  words  and  constructions  which  are 
found  only  in  the  latest  books  of  the  Old  Testament ;  but 
other  and  still  more  patent  testimony  is  not  wanting. 
Nineveh,  which  was  not  destroyed  until  606-605  B.  C,  is 
spoken  of  as  no  longer  existing  (3  :  3).  It  is  described  in 
the  general  language  of  later  tradition  as  "an  exceedingly 

339 


Jonah  Messages  of  the 

great  city  of  three  days'  journey."  The  title  "  King  of 
Nineveh"  occurs  in  the  sense  in  which  it  is  here  used  no- 
where in  contemporary  literature.  Its  use  and  the  absence 
of  the  name  of  the  king  are  in  accord  with  the  habits  of 
post-  rather  than  pre-exilic  writers.  The  questions  with 
which  the  book  deals  also  first  came  into  especial  promi- 
nence during  the  latter  part  of  the  Persian  and  the  opening 
years  of  the  Greek  period.  The  prayer  in  chapter  2  like- 
wise reflects  the  strongly  legalistic  spirit  of  later  Judaism, 
and  is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  quotations  from  post- 
exilic  psalms.  On  the  other  hand,  the  presence  of  the 
book  in  the  canon  of  the  prophets  instead  of  among  the 
"  sacred  writings,"  is  reasonably  conclusive  evidence  that 
it  was  written  at  the  latest  before  200  B.  C,  when  that 
canon  is  referred  to  by  the  son  of  Sirach  as  definitely 
closed.  To  fix  its  date  more  exactly  is  impossible  unless 
in  the  identification  of  Jonah  with  the  Jewish  race  the  de- 
struction of  the  gourd  in  which  the  prophet  took  such 
delight  is  intended  as  a  reference  to  the  destruction  of  the 
temple  by  Ochus  about  350  B.  C.  Certainly  it  was  during 
the  century  following  this  event  that  the  hatred  of  the 
heathen  reached  its  height  and  found  most  open  expression. 


340 


Later  Prophets  jonah 


II 


THE    PURPOSE    AND    METHOD     OF     THE    AUTHOR    OF 
THE    BOOK 

The  anonymous  author  of  this  unique  book  was  un- 
questionably one  of  the  greatest  of  the  later  prophets. 
Unfortunately  a  failure  to  understand  the  method  which 
he  employed  to  present  his  inspired  message  has  in  recent 
ages  done  much  to  obscure  its  real  sublimity.  As  in  the 
case  of  not  a  few  of  the  books  of  the  Bible,  claims  have 
been  made  for  it  of  which  the  original  author  never 
dreamed,  while  its  true  character  has  been  overlooked. 

Thus  the  same  Bible  students  who  recognize  that 
prophets  like  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel  and  the  greatest  of 
teachers  frequently  used  the  parable  as  a  means  of  enforc- 
ing their  lessons,  maintain  that  the  Book  of  Jonah  is  literal 
history,  although  it  bears  on  its  face  the  characteristic 
marks  of  the  allegory  or  parable.  The  conspicuous  ab- 
sence of  the  usual  historical  details  has  already  been 
noted.  A  host  of  questions  which  the  historian  could  not 
have  left  unanswered  are  ignored,  as,  for  example,  the 
name  of  the  king  of  Nineveh,  the  nature  of  the  sins  of  the 
Ninevites,  the  details  of  the  prophet's  preaching,  and  his 
earlier  and  later  history. 

The  occurrence  of  the  conventional  number  three  in  de- 
341 


Jonah  Messages  of  the 

scribing  both  the  time  spent  by  the  prophet  within  the 
great  fish  and  the  extent  of  the  city  of  Nineveh  is  also 
suggestive  of  the  parable.  The  freedom  and  naivete 
with  which  grotesquely  supernatural  elements  are  intro- 
duced find  no  parallel  in  the  historical  writings  of  the  Old 
Testament :  the  sudden  appearance  and  equally  sudden 
disappearance  of  the  tempest,  the  choice  of  Jonah  by  the 
lot,  his  preservation  within  the  great  fish,  his  being  cast 
ashore  on  a  friendly  coast,  the  marvellous  effect  of  his  re- 
luctant preaching  upon  the  Ninevites,  and  the  sudden 
growth  and  end  of  the  gourd.  The  actors  in  the  story 
belong  to  the  realm  of  parable  rather  than  of  real  history, 
as  is  illustrated  by  Jonah's  prompt  flight,  his  frank  profes- 
sion of  his  guilt,  his  readiness  to  give  his  life  to  save 
even  the  heathen,  the  surpassing  generosity  and  justice  of 
the  ignorant  sailors,  their  sudden  conversion,  the  wholesale 
repentance  of  the  Ninevites,  and  the  superlative  obduracy 
and  meanness  of  the  prophet.  Throughout  the  entire 
story  the  object  is  plainly  not  to  record  facts  but  to  en- 
force essential  truths.  The  kinship  with  the  parables  of 
the  Old  and  New  Testament  is  perfect. 

The  reason  why  the  true  character  of  the  story  has  been 
overlooked  by  many — although  by  no  means  all — Bible 
students  is  probably  because  it  is  associated  with  the  name 
of  Jonah  the  son  of  Amittai.  Neither  the  name  of  the 
prophet  nor  that  of  his  father  occur  elsewhere  in  the  Old 
Testament,  except  in  the  passage  in  2  Kings  to  which  ref- 
342 


Later  Prophets  Jonah 

erence  has  already  been  made.  Possibly  "  the  son  of 
Amittai "  was  added  by  some  later  scribe  who  naturally 
identified  the  Jonah  of  the  book  with  the  prophet  who 
prophesied  in  the  days  of  Jeroboam  II.  If  so,  "Jonah" 
may  have  originally  been  used  allegorically  because  of  its 
meaning  "  dove."  It  is  more  probable,  however,  that  with 
the  name  of  Jonah  the  son  of  Amittai  was  associated  a 
tradition  concerning  a  miraculous  deliverance  and  a  mis- 
sion to  the  heathen  which  the  author  freely  adapted  to  his 
purpose. 

An  appreciation  of  the  didactic,  allegorical  character  of 
the  book  prepares  the  way  for  the  appreciation  of  its  real 
purpose  and  teaching.  The  author  lived  in  an  age  when 
the  prevailing  tendency  of  his  race  was  toward  an  attitude 
of  extreme  exclusiveness  and  hostility  toward  the  heathen. 
Nehemiah  excluded  the  half-Israelitish  Samaritans  from 
participation  in  the  service  of  the  temple  at  Jerusalem. 
The  wall  of  separation  was  built  high  and  strong  by  the 
reformers  who  framed  and  instituted  the  Levitical  law. 
Only  those  foreigners  who  left  their  land  and  people  and 
identified  themselves  completely  with  the  Jewish  com- 
munity were  allowed  to  share  its  religious  privileges,  and 
then  at  first  with  certain  restrictions. 

Instead  of  the  fervent  missionary  zeal  which  finds  noble 
expression  in  Isaiah  40  to  55  and  Zechariah  8,  certain  of 
the  later  prophets — especially  the  prophet  Joel,  and  the 
authors  of  Isaiah  25  to  27,  64  to  66,  and  Zechariah  9  to 

343 


Jonah  Messages  of  the 

14 — voiced  the  prevailing  desire  of  the  Jews  to  see  their 
heathen  foes  punished  by  the  avenging  hand  of  Jehovah. 
They  regarded  their  overthrow  as  the  necessary  premise 
to  the  institution  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  Not- 
withstanding the  earnest  protests  of  the  prophets,  the 
majority  of  the  Jewish  race  regarded  themselves  as  the 
chief,  if  not  the  sole,  objects  of  Jehovah's  favor,  and  viewed 
with  extreme  impatience  and  indignation  the  success  and 
prosperity  of  their  heathen  masters. 

There  was  undoubtedly  great  provocation  for  the 
hatred  and  jealousy  with  which  the  Jews  viewed  the 
heathen.  The  century  following  350  B.  C.  was  filled 
with  shameful  acts  of  cruelty  and  wrong,  and  the  Jews 
were  the  victims  of  the  most  shocking  indignities.  There 
was  little  in  the  character  of  the  peoples  with  whom  they 
came  in  painful  contact  to  arouse  their  affection  or  to 
kindle  their  missionary  enthusiasm.  It  was  a  crisis  in 
which  the  ver^"  life  of  Judaism  was  in  jeopardy.  It  is  not 
strange  that  they  forgot  their  high  calling  to  be  Jeho- 
vah's witnesses  to  the  world  and  that  curses  were  oftener 
on  their  lips  than  blessings.  All  the  more  wonderful, 
therefore,  are  the  exalted  messages  of  tolerance,  charity, 
and  pity  which  the  author  of  the  Book  of  Jonah  endeav- 
ored so  tactfully  and  vividly  to  impress  upon  his  unrecep- 
tive  race. 

The  portrait  of  Jonah  is  not  so  much  that  of  a  single 
prophet  as  of  the  Jewish  race,  which  like  the  son  of 
344 


Later  PropJiets  Jonah 

Amittai  was  called  to  be  Jehovah's  prophet  to  the  nations, 
and  whose  experiences  and  motives  were  those  of  the  re- 
bellious messenger  of  the  Lord.  Its  consciousness  that  it 
was  called  to  proclaim  Jehovah's  message  to  the  heathen, 
of  whom  the  Ninevites  were  typical  representatives,  came 
to  it  through  the  enlightened  souls  of  its  inspired  teachers 
even  as  it  did  to  the  Jonah  of  the  parable.  It  refused  to 
do  the  will  of  Jehovah  and,  as  a  punishment  and  discipline, 
storms  from  the  east — Assyrian  and  Babylonian  invasion 
— swept  over  it,  until  the  Hebrew  kingdoms  were  en- 
gulfed. Then  came,  in  586  B.  C.  and  the  years  which 
followed,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  miracles  of  history  : 
the  Jewish  race  politically  dead,  lost  in  the  seething 
waves  of  tempestuous  oriental  politics,  survived  in  the 
person  of  the  exiles  carried  by  Nebuchadrezzar  to  Baby- 
lon. 

In  likening  the  experience  of  his  race  at  this  time  to 
that  of  a  man  swallowed  by  a  great  fish,  the  author  of  the 
Book  of  Jonah  was  not  drawing  upon  the  storehouse  of 
Semitic  mythology,  as  some  have  urged,  nor  introducing 
a  new  idea  into  Jewish  thought,  for  the  figure  was  already 
familiar  to  his  readers  through  the  writings  of  his  prede- 
cessors, and  especially  in  the  words  of  the  author  of  Jere- 
miah 51.  In  referring  to  the  fate  of  the  exiled  people  he 
declared  :  "  Nebuchadrezzar  the  king  of  Babylon  has  de- 
voured me  and  crushed  me  ...  he  has  swallowed 
me  up  like  a  great  sea-monster,  filling  his  maw  from  my 

345 


Jonah  Messages  of  the 

delights,  he  has  cast  me  out  "  (verse  34).  The  same 
prophet  anticipated  the  manner  of  Jonah's  dehverance  in 
referring  to  the  restoration  of  the  Jewish  race  in  which  he 
predicts,  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  :  "  I  will  punish  Bel  in 
Babylon,  and  I  will  bring  out  of  his  mouth  that  w'hich  he 
has  swallowed  "  (verse  44). 

In  the  exile  the  Jews,  like  their  representative  Jonah, 
learned  that  the  heathen  possessed  many  qualities  worthy 
of  admiration.  The  justice  and  moderation  of  the  rude 
heathen  sailors  in  a  situation  whose  peril  tended  to  bring 
out  only  the  brute  instincts  of  man,  were  well  represented 
historically  by  the  highly  developed  judicial  system  of  the 
Babylonians.  Their  conquerors  also  served  their  gods 
with  as  much  devotion  as  the  Jewish  exiles  did  Jehovah, 
and  in  their  ethical  standards  there  was  much  to  admire. 

In  the  Babylonian  exile,  also,  the  Jews,  through  their 
most  inspired  prophet,  formulated,  and  we  may  believe 
partially  accepted,  the  great  thought  that  they  were  Jeho- 
vah's witnesses  to  heathendom.  Partial  success  seems  to 
have  greeted  their  efforts  to  perform  their  duty  as  preach- 
ers of  repentance  (compare,  for  example,  Isa.  56  :  6-8). 
Contrary  as  it  was  to  their  selfish  instincts,  the  conviction 
forced  itself  upon  them  that  the  heathen  were  worthy  and 
capable  like  themselves  of  receiving  blessings  of  Jehovah. 
Their  subsequent  painful  contact  with  the  peoples  of  Pal- 
estine and  with  the  powers  which  ruled  over  them  em- 
bittered them  and  turned  their  missionary  zeal  to  hate,  so 
346 


Later  Prophets  Jonah 

that,  like  Jonah,  they  were  angry  with  Jehovah  because  he 
did  not  at  once  destroy  their  heathen  foes.  When  the 
brief  period  of  prosperity  which  followed  the  rebuilding  of 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  by  Nehemiah,  and  the  institution 
of  the  Levitical  law  was  suddenly  changed  to  disaster  by 
the  brutal  vengeance  of  Ochus,  the  Jews  were  again,  as 
we  have  seen,  "  angry  even  unto  death  "  with  their  God 
who  thus  allowed  them  to  fall  a  prey  to  their  enemies,  for- 
getting, as  did  Jonah  when  he  mourned  the  death  of  the 
gourd,  that  those  foes  possessed  an  importance  of  their 
own  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah. 

In  presenting  in  the  portrait  of  Jonah  the  history  and 
characteristics  of  his  race,  the  prophet  aimed  not  merely 
to  show  his  countrymen  their  petty  meanness  and  how  far 
they  were  falling  short  of  realizing  the  divine  ideal ;  he 
also  had  a  positive  message.  The  book  bristles  with  great 
prophetic  truths.  Nowhere  is  the  infinite  love  of  God  for 
the  ignorant,  the  sinful,  and  even  for  those  who  defy  him, 
more  beautifully  and  simply  presented  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. The  fact  that  the  fulfilment  of  every  prophecy, 
however  detailed  and  emphatic,  depends  upon  certain 
conditions  determinate  upon  human  action  is  forcibly 
taught.  The  book  also  emphasizes  the  universality  of 
Jehovah's  rule,  and  indicates  clearly  the  true  place  and 
role  of  the  Jewish  race  in  his  creation.  Above  all,  it  set 
before  the  Jews  their  supreme  opportunity  and  duty  as 
Jehovah's  enlightened  messenger  to  proclaim  his  truth  to 
347 


Jonah  I  :  i  Messages  of  the 

mankind.  It  gave  them  encouragement  that  if  they  were 
faithful  their  labors  would  be  crowned  with  success  ;  it 
plainly  stated  that  if  they  proved  faithless  they  would  be 
the  objects  of  Jehovah's  righteous  wrath.  Nowhere  in 
the  Old  Testament  are  the  fundamental  principles  of 
Christianity  more  simply  and  forcibly  laid  down  than  in 
this  little  gospel. 

Ill 

THE    STORY    OF    JONAH    AND    ITS    MORAL 

I,   The  Prophet's  Refusal  to  Proclaim  fehovaKs  Mes- 
sage to  the  HeatheJi  (i  :  1-3) 

Jonah's  com-  Listen,  O  members  of  the  Jewish  race  and  learn  from 
mission  to  |-|^js  gtory  the  solemn  lessons  which  Jehovah  would  teach 
Ninevites  you  by  the  testimony  of  history  and  by  the  mouth  of  his 
inspired  prophets.  In  the  days  of  northern  Israel's  pros- 
perity, when  the  cruel  Assyrians  were  rapidly  moving 
westward,  but  had  not  yet  conquered  and  laid  waste  this 
land  of  Palestine,  the  divine  command  to  undertake  a 
strange  mission  came  to  Jonah  the  son  of  Amittai.  He 
was  ordered  to  go  to  the  then  great  city  of  Nineveh,  the 
capital  of  the  hostile  Assyrians  who  were  already  on  the 
point  of  invading  Israel,  and  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  to 
denounce  its  crimes  and  to  point  out  the  sure  conse- 
quences of  their  continuance. 
348 


(I :  I,  2) 


Later  Prophets  Jonah  i  :  6 

The   prophet,   however,   recognizing    how   great   was  His  refusal 
Jehovah's  mercy,  and  fearing  lest  the  enemies  of  his  race  foeTof  his'' 
might  heed  his  words,   put  away  their  sins,  and  obtain ''^^^  ^' '  ^^ 
pardon,  deliberately  defied  Jehovah  and  sought  by  flight 
to  escape  the  task  so  abhorrent  to  him.     To  this  end  he 
secured  passage  and  embarked  at  Joppa  on  a  Phoenician 
merchant-ship,  bound  for  Tarshish,  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tant cities  of  the  habitable  world,  possibly  thinking  that 
he  might  thereby  get  beyond  the  limits  of  Jehovah's  rule. 

2.   The  Discipline,  Conversion,  mid  Deliverance  of  Jeho- 
vah's Rebellious  Messenger  (i  :  4  to  2  :  10) 

Soon  by  an  awful  experience  the  prophet  learned  his  His  condem- 
fatal  mistake.  In  his  righteous  wrath  Jehovah  caused  a  "he'stom 
mighty  tempest  to  break  upon  the  sea.  The  fragile  ship,  (^ '-  4*7) 
propelled  only  by  oars  and  sails,  threatened  every  moment 
to  go  to  pieces.  Terror  seized  the  sailors,  who  realized 
the  peril  of  the  situation.  Unable  to  do  anything  to  save 
themselves  from  the  fury  of  the  storm,  they  turned  each 
in  supplication  to  the  idol  which  he  blindly  hoped  might 
deliver  him.  Masts,  spars — everything  that  could  be  torn 
loose — were  thrown  overboard  in  order  to  lighten  the 
ship,  so  that  perchance  she  might  ride  the  gale.  Mean- 
time the  prophet,  exhausted  by  the  struggle  against  the 
divine  promptings  to  duty,  was  lying  fast  asleep  in  the 
hold  of  the  ship.  Astonished  at  this  strange  action,  the 
captain  aroused  him  and  commanded  him  also  to  call 
349 


Jonah  I  :  6  Messages  of  the 

upon  his  God  in  the  hope  that  perchance  his  deity  might 
in   mercy  deliver   them   from   the  death  which   yawned 
before  them.     When  their  prayers  brought  no  relief,  they 
concluded,  according  to  the  prevalent  thought  of  their  age, 
that  some  one  of   their    number  had  incurred   the  dis- 
pleasure of  his  god.     To  ascertain    who  was  the  guilty 
man,,  they  appealed  to  the  gods  for  a  decision  by  means 
of  the  lot,  and  Jonah  was  the  one  thus  designated. 
His  confes-        In  reply  to   their   inquiries   as  to   his  occupation   and 
sion(i .  -12)  ng^j-JQi^^lJty^  }^g  declared  that  he  was  a  Hebrew  and  a  wor- 
shipper of  the  God  who  rules  supreme  over  both  sea  and 
land.     Knowing  from  his  earlier  confession  that  he  was  a 
fugitive  from  his  God  and  yet  hesitating  to  execute  the 
death-sentence  upon  him,  they  appealed  to  him  to  know 
what  they  were  to  do  to  delivef  themselves  from  the  con- 
sequences of  his  sin.     Meanwhile  the  waves  rolled  higher 
and  higher.     Moved  by  their  spirit  of  justice  and  rever- 
ence, the  noble   qualities  in  the   prophet  asserted  them- 
selves and  he  boldly  acknowledged  that  he  was  the  cause 
His  uninten-  of  their  misfortuucs.     Although  he  counselled  them  to 
version  of     throw  him  ovcrboard,  they  still  struggled  desperately  to 
saUore^'^^"  save   the   ship   without"  sacrificing    the    prophet,   whose 
(i :  13-16)      courage  they  could  not  but  admire  ;  but  their  efforts  were 
in  vain,  for  the  storm   only  increased  and  drove   them 
farther  and  farther  from  the  shore.     Then,  at  last,  with  a 
prayer  to  Jonah's  God  for  deliverance  from  bloodguilti- 
ness  and  in  recognition  of  his  omnipotence,  they  cast  the 

350 


Later  Prophets  Jonah  2  :  lo 

rebellious  prophet  into  the  sea,  and  a  sudden  lull  in  the 
storm  confirmed  the  Tightness  of  their  act.  Reverence 
for  the  God  who  had  thus  marvellously  revealed  himself 
led  them  to  offer  to  him  appropriate  sacrifices  and  vows. 

In  accordance  with  the  divine  purpose,  the  once  rebel-  His  preser 
lious  but  now  converted  prophet  was  swallowed  by  a  great  JT*;'*^,") 
sea-monster,  within  which  he  was  preserved  alive  for  three 
days. 

As  he  meditated  in  his  place  of  confinement,  he  prayed  His  prayer 
to  Jehovah  :  "  In  my  hour  of  anguish  and  mortal  peril,  I  giJ^iJ"^^' 
cried  to  thee  for  help  and  thou  hast  delivered  me.  Thou  ^^  •  ^'^^ 
didst  cast  me  into  the  bottomless  sea  and  its  waves  closed 
over  me.  I  felt  that  the  joys  of  life,  the  privilege  of  wor- 
shipping thee,  and  of  participating  in  the  service  of  thy 
temple  were  for  me  forever  at  an  end.  In  the  dark  depths 
of  the  sea  I  lay,  enwrapped  in  the  slimy  seaweeds,  far 
removed  from,  the  busy  life  of  earth.  Then  thou  didst 
deliver  me  from  the  certain  destruction  which  had  over- 
taken me.  In  my  despair  I  cried  unto  thee  and  thou 
didst  answer.  Apostates  who  worship  dead  idols  turn 
from  thee,  the  source  of  all  life  and  love.  With  deep  joy 
will  I  renew  by  sacrifice  my  fealty  to  thee  and  pay  the 
vows  which  I  have  made  in  return  for  my  deliverance,  for 
thou  alone  canst  save  those  who  turn  to  thee." 

At  Jehovah's  command  the  great  sea-monster  threw  but  His 
the  prophet  unhurt  upon  the  dry  land.  \fT\l)^^^ 

351 


Jonah  3  :  i 


Messages  of  the 


His  mes- 
sage to  the 
Ninevites 
(3  :  1-4) 


1  he  repent- 
ance of  the 
Ninevites 
(3  :  5-9) 


Their 
pardon 
(3  :  ID) 


3.   T/ie  Repentance  and  Pardon  of  the  Ninevites  (3) 

Again  the  divine  command  came  to  Jonah,  led  by  his 
experience  into  an  attitude  of  obedience,  to  go  and  pro- 
claim to  the  Ninevites  the  message  which  Jehovah  would 
give  him.  At  once  he  set  out  upon  his  mission  to  the 
vast  city  with  its  encircling  villages.  When  he  approached 
it,  he  proclaimed,  as  he  passed  through  its  miles  of  streets, 
the  short  but  awful  message :  "  Before  many  days  have 
passed  this  city  Nineveh  shall  be  reduced  to  ruins." 

Then  the  inhabitants  of  Nineveh  gave  heed  to  the 
warnings  of  Jehovah's  prophet  and  proclaimed  a  universal 
fast  in  order  to  avert  the  calamity  which  threatened. 
When  the  prophet's  words  were  reported  to  the  king  he 
laid  aside  his  royal  attire  and  put  on  the  garments  of 
mourning.  He  also  issued,  in  his  own  name  and  in  that 
of  his  nobles,  a  decree  that  every  living  being,  man  or 
beast,  within  the  city  should  join  in  the  fast,  and  clothe 
themselves  in  the  garb  of  sorrow  and  supplication.  All 
his  subjects  were  fervently  to  beseech  God's  pardon,  and 
abstain  from  all  wrong-doing,  in  the  hope  that  he  might 
relent  and  not  execute  upon  them  the  destructive  judg- 
ment which  he  had  announced  through  his  prophet. 

Perceiving  these  evidences  that,  in  accordance  with  their 

light,  they  had  repented  of  their  deeds  and  were  ready  to 

reform,  Jehovah,  in  keeping  with  his  true  character  and 

purpose,  did  not  execute  his  vengeance  upon  them,  so  that 

352 


Later  Prophets  Jonah  4  :  6 

their  city  remained  intact  until  the  evils  which  the  prophet 
condemned  became  prevalent  again. 

4.    The  Contemptible  Jealousy  of  his  Prophet  Contrasted 
with  Jehovah's  hifitiite  Compassion  (4) 

That  Jehovah  should  recoc^nize  the  heathen  as  capable  Jonah's 

,  ,  .  r  11-1  anger  be- 

of  repentance  and  as  objects  of  mercy  aroused  the  jealousy  cause  of 
and  anger  of  the  prophet.     In  his  vexation,  he  declared  to°the '"^'^^^ 
that  his  flight,  when  first  commanded  to  go  to  Nineveh,  J^^^'J".^" 
was  because   he  knew  that  Jehovah   was  merciful  and 
tender,  ready  and  eager  to  pardon  those  who  showed  the 
least  evidence  of  true  repentance,  and  because  he  feared 
that  his  words  of  warning  would  prove,  as  they  had,  the 
salvation  of   the   enemies   of    his   race.      Petulantly   he 
asserted  that  he  had  rather  die  than  live  to  see  the  heathen 
the  objects  of  Jehovah's  compassion  and  favor. 

With  the  same  patient,  compassionate  love  as  he  had  His  mean- 
shown  toward  the  ignorant  heathen,  the  Lord  replied  to  Serance 
the  peevish,   intolerant    declaration    of    his   enlightened  ^^?i"™d^s 
prophet:  "Are  you  really  as  angry  as  your  intemperate i"fi"'te^|°v« 
words  would  suggest  ?  "    Without  answering,  Jonah  went 
forth   from  the  city  and  made  for  himself  a  temporary 
abode  outside  its  walls,  where  he  waited,  still  hoping  that 
some  disaster  would  overtake  the  foes  of  his  race.     Then 
Jehovah  caused  a  green  vine  to  grow  and  cover  the  booth 
which  the  prophet  had  made,  thus  protecting  his  head 
from  the  heat  of  the  burning  eastern  sun.     To  the  selfish 
353 


Jonah  4 :  6 

prophet  it  brought  great  delight ;  but  to  complete  the 
lesson  which  he  wished  to  teach,  the  Lord  caused  a  worm 
to  destroy  the  vine,  so  that  when  the  sun  arose  and  a 
sweltering  east  wind  began  to  blow,  Jonah  was  overcome 
by  the  heat  and  again  prayed  that  he  might  die.  To 
reveal  to  him  his  petty  meanness,  and  how  unreasonable 
was  his  indignation  because  of  the  deliverance  of  the 
Ninevites,  Jehovah  again  inquired,  with  gentle  irony  :  "  Are 
you  really  as  angry  about  the  destruction  of  the  vine  as 
you  protest  ?  "  "Yes,  I  am  exceedingly  angry — so  angry 
that  I  am  ready  to  die  because  of  it,"  was  the  hot  re- 
joinder. Then  said  Jehovah :  "  Consider  the  utter  un- 
reasonableness of  your  position.  You  are  bitterly  in- 
censed against  me  because  I  in  my  infinite  wisdom  have 
seen  fit  to  destroy  a  short-lived  vine,  with  whose  creation 
and  growth  you  had  nothing  to  do,  while  in  the  same 
moment  you  are  equally  exercised  because  I,  the  Creator 
and  Ruler  of  the  universe,  saw  fit  to  show  mercy  and  not 
destroy,  as  you  desired,  the  great  city  Nineveh,  with  its 
thousands  and  thousands  of  human  beings,  ignorant  of 
the  truth  and  of  right,  and  with  its  many  beasts,  as  inno- 
cent of  evil  as  that  vine  over  whose  natural  end  you  are 
so  greatly  enraged." 


354 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX 


THE    MESSIANIC    ELEMENT    IN    PROPHECY 

The  term  "  Messiah  "  as  a  proper  name  designating 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  become  a  familiar  Christian  ex- 
pression. Either  it  or  its  exact  equivalent,  "  the  Christ," 
occurs  many  times  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is  unques- 
tioned that  the  Jewish  people  of  the  first  Christian  century 
looked  for  the  coming  of  a  leader  who  would  restore  Israel 
to  her  ancient  glory  and  that  they  spoke  of  him  as  "  the 
Messiah."  Nor  can  there  be  any  doubt  that  Jesus  iden- 
tified himself  as  this  leader,  was  accepted  by  his  followers 
as  such,  and  asserted  that  a  true  interpretation  of  Old 
Testament  prophecy  would  justify  his  claims.  By  many 
students,  therefore,  the  study  of  Messianic  prophecy  is 
considered  to  be  the  collection,  arrangement,  and  mterpre- 
tation  of  the  passages  which  allude,  directly  or  indirectly, 
to  this  personal  Messiah. 

The  historical  study  of  prophecy,  however,  is  influenced 
by  three  considerations.     One  is  that  the  use  of  the  term 

357 


Appendix 

*'  Messiah  "  (literally  "  the  anointed  one  ")  as  a  proper 
name  arose  during  the  last  few  centuries  before  the  birth 
of  our  Lord,  after  the  age  of  prophecy  had  given  way  to 
the  age  of  apocalypse.  A  perfectly  definite  reference  to 
Jesus  as  the  Messiah  should  not  be  expected  in  the  pro- 
phetic writings.  Again,  the  term  "  Messiah  "  is  used  very 
freely  in  the  Old  Testament  writings  to  designate  any 
person  "anointed,"  that  is,  formally  consecrated  to  exe- 
cute Jehovah's  will  or  to  represent  his  majesty.  It  is  thus 
used  of  priests  (Lev.  8  :  12),  of  the  king  (i  Sam.  2  :  10, 
35;  Ps.  18:  50;  Lam.  4:  20,  etc.),  and  even  of  the 
chosen  nation  (Ps.  20  :  6;  Hab.  3  :  13).  Finally  it  has 
a  very  general  application  in  the  writings  of  the  prophets. 
They  use  it  sparingly,  preferring  to  designate  the  repre- 
sentative of  Jehovah  as  a  king,  or  a  shepherd,  or,  more 
generally,  as  the  "  servant  of  Jehovah."  In  the  ode  of 
Habakkuk  (3  :  13)  the  people,  Israel,  is  referred  to  as  "  thine 
anointed."  The  term  is  also  applied  to  an  outside  politi- 
cal agent,  such  as  Cyrus  (Isa.  45  :  i).  It  is  hardly  ever 
used,  even  indirectly,  to  denote  the  one  on  whom  the 
prophetic  hopes  were  fixed. 

The  reason  for  this  is  clear  when  prophetic  allusions  are 
studied.  The  prophets  had  no  definite  programme  of  the 
future  in  mind,  nor  any  absolutely  specific  instrumentality. 
What  they  definitely  and  repeatedly  asserted  was  the  fact 
that  there  was  a  sure  future  in  store  for  the  people  of  God, 
however  distressing  the    existing    circumstances.     This 

358 


Appendix 

assurance  rested  on  a  perception  of  the  divine  redemptive 
plan  for  the  world,  as  well  as  a  conviction  that  this  plan 
was  to  be  realized  through  the  Israelitish  nation,  selected 
by  God  for  the  purpose,  and  made  ready  for  its  work  by 
a  leader  of  some  sort,  variously  portrayed  as  warrior, 
sovereign,  judge,  or  prophet.  Every  prophet  had  this 
ideal  future  in  his  mind.  It  was  his  certainty  that  God 
would  bring  it  about  and  his  thorough  understanding  of 
the  reasons  for  its  delay  that  made  him  a  prophet.  He 
proclaimed  that  Jehovah,  the  ruler  of  the  universe,  the 
wielder  of  infinite  power,  constantly  making  use  of  world- 
conquering  nations  as  his  agents  to  punish  (Amos  6  :  14) 
or  destroy  (Ezek.  30  :  10),  or  deliver  from  bondage  (Isa. 
45  :  I),  would  at  the  time  determined  by  his  omniscience 
redeem  mankind  to  himself  through  Israel,  causing  all  na- 
tions to  acknowledge  and  obey  him.  When  and  how  this 
would  be  accomplished  no  prophet  was  able  to  declare  ;  each 
described  certain  essential  factors  in  the  historic  process. 

A  review  of  Messianic  prophecy  must,  therefore,  be  a 
summary  of  each  prophet's  contribution  to  this  broader 
theme.  Were  it  to  include  only  passages  referring  to  the 
expected  leader  and  teacher  of  Israel,  there  would  be  but 
few  to  consider,  several  of  the  prophetic  books  containing 
none  at  all.  From  the  more  comprehensive  point  of  view 
every  prophet  is  a  contributor,  his  message  being  related 
in  some  way  to  this  Messianic  hope  respecting  Israel's 
future  privilege. 

359 


Appendix 

The  broader  Messianic  idea  did  not  originate  with  the 
prophets  whose  sermons  we  may  study.  It  finds  ex- 
pression in  the  earliest  historical  writings  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Throughout  the  prophetic  narratives  of  the 
Hexateuch  run,  like  threads  of  gold,  three  wonderful 
ideas :  that  God  is  a  Being  confessedly  all-powerful  but 
distinctively  ethical  and  spiritual ;  that,  as  the  righteous 
ruler  of  the  universe  he  desires  to  redeem  the  world  from 
sin  unto  union  with  himself ;  and  that  Israel  has  been 
chosen  as  his  human  instrumentality.  These  ideas  can- 
not have  been  formulated  later  than  the  ninth  century 
B.  C,  at  least  a  century  prior  to  the  prophet  Amos.  By 
many  scholars  they  would  be  given  a  far  earlier  date. 
At  any  time  after  it  was  possible  for  any  Israelite  to  think 
of  himself  as  a  member  of  a  well-organized,  progressive, 
influential  nation  and  to  think  of  Jehovah  as  being  inter- 
ested in  the  outside  world  as  well  as  in  the  inhabitants  of 
Canaan,  such  ideas  might  have  arisen  in  the  minds  of 
Israel's  inspired  religious  thinkers.  They  are  not  men- 
tioned by  the  earliest  prophets  as  novelties,  but  as  recog- 
nized truths  of  which  their  hearers  are  to  be  reminded. 

For  the  following  outline  sketch  of  the  development  of 
the  Messianic  ideal  the  prophetic  writings  may  be  advan- 
tageously arranged  in  four  groups  :  those  of  the  eighth 
century  B.  C. — Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah  and  Micah;  those  of 
the  latter  part  of  the  seventh  century  B.  C. — Nahum, 
Zephaniah,  Jeremiah  and  Habakkuk  ;  those  of  the  exile 
360 


Appendix 

and  those  of  the  post-exilic  age.  For  a  careful  allotment 
of  prophetic  passages  to  these  four  periods  the  reader  may 
be  referred  to  this  volume  and  its  predecessor.  In  what 
follows  only  distinctive  ideas  will  be  mentioned.  It  must 
be  kept  in  mind  by  the  student,  moreover,  that  a  prophet 
often  anticipates  an  idea  which  is  credited  to  his  successor, 
or  repeats  an  idea  previously  worked  out.  As  a  rule  each 
prophet  sees  with  especial  clearness  one  or  two  aspects  of 
the  general  theme.  To  all  the  keynote  of  their  revela- 
tions is  not  a  deliverance  from  the  power  of  sin  but  rather 
the  promise  of  useful  service.  The  latter  is  the  supreme 
opportunity  of  which  the  former  is  a  condition. 

The  first  group  of  prophetic  writings  date  from  about 
750  B.  C.  to  700  B.  C.  Amos,  the  earliest,  warns  Israel 
that  Jehovah,  the  righteous  ruler  of  the  universe,  might  be 
forced  by  the  immorality  and  irreligion  into  which  the 
nation  had  fall-en  to  inflict,  by  means  of  Assyria,  a  merited 
punishment  upon  her.  Rosea,  his  successor,  confronting 
similar  but  aggravated  conditions,  is  forced  to  concur  in 
the  prediction  of  immediate  retribution,  but  is  inspired  to 
proclaim  that  Jehovah's  righteousness  is  only  a  manifes- 
tation of  his  compassionate  love,  and  that  his  purpose  in 
punishing  is  redemptive.  As  a  corollary  to  these  noble 
definitions  of  Jehovah's  character  and  power,  Amos,  per- 
haps, and  Hosea  certainly  predict  a  return  from  captivity 
of  the  repentant  people  and  their  restoration  to  the  old- 
time  unity  and  an  ideal  prosperity.  Beyond  this  they  cast 
361 


Appendix 

no  light  upon  the  future.  Isaiah,  their  pupil,  applies  to 
conditions  in  Judah  similar  convictions  of  the  certain  judg- 
ment of  the  "  Holy  one  of  Israel  "  for  unrighteousness  to 
be  executed  by  his  tool,  Assyria,  but  makes  much  clearer 
the  thought  that  a  repentant  "  remnant  "  would  eventually 
perform  the  task  allotted  by  Jehovah  to  his  chosen  nation. 
Two  ideas  he  emphasizes  on  which  his  predecessors  laid 
no  stress  :  that  Jehovah's  purpose  of  redemption  includes 
the  world  (14  :  24-27  ;  11:  10  ;  18  :  7),  and  that  the  Mes- 
sianic future  would  be  realized  by  Israel  through  a  divinely 
granted  leader,  portrayed  as  a  wise  and  righteous  king, 
but  also  as  a  successful  warrior  (11:  i-io;  9:1-7;  33: 
17-24).  Micah  reinforces  the  conception  of  the  "  Prince  of 
Peace,"  the  matchless  leader  and  ruler  of  the  "  remnant," 
who  will  enable  them  to  turn  the  tables  on  their  foes  (5  : 
1-6).  He  probably  quotes  from  some  contemporary  (4  : 
1-4)  the  beautiful  thought  that  Israelis  to  be  the  religious 
teacher  of  the  world.  He  reiterates  the  threats  of  merited 
punishment  (1-3)  and  the  promises  of  a  restoration  of  the 
purified  "  remnant  *'  (4  :  d,']^.  He  originates  the  thought 
that  this  remnant  will  execute  Jehovah's  will  toward 
mankind,  blessing  some  nations,  destroying  others  (5  :  7- 
8).  These  four  prophets  introduce  all  the  ideas  funda- 
mental to  the  Messianic  hope.  It  may  fairly  be  said, 
however,  that  while  they  insist  upon  Israel's  repentance 
and  righteousness,  they  look  forward  to  a  time  when  other 
nations,  impelled,  if  need  be,  by  force,  will  follow  the  au- 
362 


Appendix 

thoritative  instruction  of  dominant  and  prosperous  Israel. 
So  far,  there  is  but  a  faint  foreshadowing  of  the  teaching 
and  spirit  of  Jesus. 

The  second  prophetic  group  dates  within  the  half  cen- 
tury following  627  B.  C.  Two  of  them,  Nahum  and 
Habakkuk,  predict,  on  the  basis  of  the  divine  character 
and  purpose,  the  certain  downfall  of  the  two  nations  which 
before  and  after  600  B.  C.  held  Judah  in  their  grasp.  Their 
contribution  to  the  Messianic  scheme  was  political  rather 
than  spiritual.  They  assert  that  no  obstacle,  however  for- 
midable, can  withstand  Jehovah's  power  or  make  void  his 
promises.  In  Zephaniah  the  leading  thought  is  the  fa- 
miliar one  that  Judah's  indifference  to  God's  requirements 
will  provoke  a  merited  retribution.  Two  other  ideas  are 
made  prominent :  this  judgment  is  a  universal  one,  affect- 
ing all  nations  (2:  4-15),  and  by  it  Judah  will  be  purified 
and  prepared  for  service  to  God  (3:1-13).  In  Jeremiah, 
however,  is  the  most  complete  presentation  of  the  Mes- 
sianic thought  of  the  period.  It  was  his  bitter  duty  to 
affirm  the  necessity  of  Judah's  dissolution  as  a  political 
unit ;  but  he  was  granted  the  privilege  of  seeing  the  relig- 
ious corollaries  of  this  action.  It  was  to  be  the  culmina- 
tion of  Israel's  long  process  of  discipline,  fitting  her  to  offer 
an  instructive  example  (4:  i,  2)  to  mankind,  and  thus  to 
bring  about  Jehovah's  long-cherished  plan  of  redemption 
(3:  16-18;  12:  14-17).  In  place  of  the  lapsed  covenant 
with  the  nation,  Jehovah  would  form  one  with  each  true 


Appendix 

son  of  Israel  (31  :  31-34).  Over  the  purified  and  redeemed 
community,  into  which  non-Israelites  might  enter  (12  : 
15,  16),  would  be  a  king  (30:  9 ;  23 :  5),  the  promised 
"David"  (33:  15),  guiding  it  in  ways  of  righteousness. 
These  four  prophets  emphasize  the  redemptive  and  educa- 
tional value  of  the  nation's  experience,  her  divinely  ap- 
pointed function  as  a  model  to  the  pagan  world  whose 
service  God  desires,  and  the  personal  relationship  Jehovah 
is  about  to  establish  with  each  one  of  his  loyal  people. 

The  prophets  of  the  exile  round  out  these  glorious 
themes.  Obadiah  merely  expresses  an  assurance  of  an 
ultimate  return  of  the  nation  from  captivity  to  re-occupy 
the  land  of  Judah.  Isaiah  13-14  and  Jeremiah  50-51 
voice  the  certainty  that  Babylon  will  go  down  to  ruin. 
In  each  case  the  circumstances  of  the  prophet  forbid  a 
broader  deliverance.  The  real  thought  of  the  period  is 
found  in  Ezekiel  and  Isaiah  40-55.  Ezekiel  affirmed 
with  unmistakable  clearness  the  responsibility  of  every 
man  for  himself  (18  :  20  ;  14:14),  the  certain  restoration 
of  the  captive  people,  their  nurture  through  a  "  shepherd  " 
or  "  king"  of  the  Davidic  type  (34;  37  :  24),  the  perma- 
nence of  their  righteousness  through  the  observance  of 
needful  forms  of  worship  (40-48),  and  the  general  recog- 
nition of  Jehovah  by  the  nations  as  well  as  by  Israel,  be- 
cause they  will  see  and  rightly  interpret  his  dealings 
with  Israel.  The  great  prophet  of  the  exile  says  the  final 
word  on  these  various  themes.  He  describes  the  exalted 
364 


Appendix 

character  of  Jehovah,  his  power,  resources,  transcendence, 
tenderness,  righteousness.  Every  attribute  affirmed  by 
earlier  prophets  finds  its  place  in  his  wonderful  portrayal. 
His  philosophical  mind  reviews  the  divine  plan  which 
from  the  beginning  had  as  its  goal  the  salvation  of  the 
world  (48;  49;  51),  restates  the  glorious  mission  for  the 
sake  of  which  Israel  was  chosen  and  trained  by  Jehovah 
(41  : 8  ff. ;  42 : 1  ff.).  and  urges  that  through  his  conse- 
crated agent  Cyrus  (45  :  i)  and  his  beloved  servant  Israel 
the  consummation  is  at  hand.  The  heathen  nations  will 
acknowledge  Jehovah,  influenced  both  by  the  triumphs  of 
Cyrus  (45  : 6,  14-17)  and  by  the  teaching  (42  : 4  ;  49  :  2) 
and  the  exaltation  (52  :  13-15)  of  the  ideal  Servant.  His 
portraiture  of  the  Servant  of  Jehovah  is  notable  for  stating, 
not  the  warlike  or  even  the  kingly  attributes  of  the  one 
who  would  perfectly  embody  the  divine  ideals,  but  his  self- 
sacrifice,  winsome  gentleness,  heroism,  and  spirit  of  ser- 
vice. He  marvellously  foreshadows  the  essential  charac- 
teristics of  the  life  of  Jesus. 

Subsequent  prophecy  could  not  improve  upon  the  teach- 
ing of  the  exile.  With  some  exceptions  the  Messianic 
hopes  of  the  post-exilic  age  centred  around  the  suprem- 
acy of  Israel  (Isa.  61  :  5,  6 ;  Hag.  2  :  7).  Nations  were 
to  share  gladly  in  her  religious  privileges  (Isa.  61  :6,  9; 
66  :  23).  Those  who  opposed  this  consummation  would 
be  judged  and  annihilated  by  Jehovah  himself  (Zech. 
14  :  12 ;  Isa.  24  :  21-23  ;  Joel  3).  That  the  idea  of  win- 
365 


Appendix 

ning  the  world  to  Jehovah  by  other  means  than  that  of 
force  was  not  the  last  thought  of  Israel  is  fortunately 
made  very  clear  in  the  beautiful  parable  of  Jonah,  with  its 
matchless  presentation  of  divine  love  and  grace  for  all 
the  world. 

This  sketch  suggests  the  relation  of  these  prophecies  to 
the  life  and  teachings  of  our  Lord.  No  fair  historical 
interpreter  would  say  that  each  prophet  had  his  life  in 
mind  and  consciously  sketched  some  portion  of  it ;  they 
rather  portrayed  an  embodiment  of  the  divine  ideal  as  it 
presented  itself  to  them  in  view  of  the  needs  of  their  age. 
On  the  other  hand,  no  one  would  question  that  in  the 
person  and  work  of  Jesus  every  distinctive  feature  of  the 
ideal  portrait  found  adequate  and  final  expression.  He 
was  indeed  the  One  for  whom  they  were  longingly  wait- 
ing, "  he  which  should  redeem  Israel." 

It  only  remains  to  point  out  the  fact  that,  if  the  funda- 
mental Messianic  thought  was  the  plan  of  God  for  the 
redemption  of  the  world  to  himself,  we  are  still  in  the 
Messianic  age.  Even  the  sacrificial  death  of  our  Lord  was 
only  the  greatest  factor  brought  to  bear  upon  the  problem. 
The  ideal  of  service  which  he  illustrated  he  handed  on  to 
his  followers  (Luke  22  :  24-27  ;  John  13  :  13-17).  The 
mission  given  to  Israel  of  preaching  the  good  tidings  to 
all  men  he  reaffirmed.  Not  until  the  whole  earth  is  Jeho- 
vah's will  the  expectations  of  the  prophets  be  fulfilled. 

366 


Appendix 


II 

THE    RELATION    BETWEEN     THE     MESSAGES    OF    THE 
PROPHETS    AND    THAT    OF    JESUS 

The  faith  of  Judaism  at  the  beginning  of  the  first 
Christian  century  was  a  strange  mixture  of  elements,  old 
and  new,  prophetical  and  priestly,  native  and  heathen,  true 
and  false.  Contradictions  and  inconsistencies  were  inevi- 
table. They  were  primarily  the  result  of  the  fact  that  Ju- 
daism was  not  a  dead  but  a  living,  progressive,  growing 
religion.  During  its  long  centuries  of  development  and 
change  it  had  been  influenced  by  many  transforming  forces 
from  within  and  without. 

The  lack  of  unity  in  its  faith  was  the  more  marked  be- 
cause of  the  extreme  emphasis  which  was  laid  on  the 
authority  of  the  sacred  writings  of  the  past.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  new  beliefs  constantly  found  acceptance,  but  nomi- 
nally the  "  scriptures  "  were  the  constitution  of  Judaism 
and  the  one  acknowledged  source  of  revelation.  An  ab- 
solute unity  in  these  sacred  writings  was  incompatible  with 
their  origin,  for  they  were  the  records  of  the  unfolding  life 
and  thought  of  many  different  ages  and  of  the  various  in- 
fluences, native  and  foreign,  which  had  moulded  the  He- 
brew race.  In  the  earlier  prophets  were  found  Jehovah's 
367 


Appendix 

declaration  :  "  I  desire  mercy  and  not  sacrifice,"  while  cer- 
tain of  the  later  prophets  and  the  priests  made  the  keep- 
ing of  the  law  and  the  observing  of  its  ceremonials  the 
whole  duty  of  men.  On  many  fundamental  questions 
even  contemporary  prophets  did  not  entirely  agree  with 
each  other,  as  is  illustrated  by  a  comparison  of  the  teach- 
ings respecting  the  duties  of  the  Jews  to  the  heathen 
found  in  the  Book  of  Jonah  and  the  closing  chapters  of 
Zechariah. 

The  teachers  of  later  Judaism,  whose  sole  acknowledged 
function  was  to  interpret  the  sacred  writings  of  their  race, 
made  the  fatal  mistake  of  not  recognizing  that  they  con- 
tained the  blade,  the  ear,  and  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  The 
modern  historical  spirit  which  seeks  to  interpret  the  thought 
of  each  book  in  the  light  of  its  historical  setting  was  un- 
known to  them.  Consequently  they  failed  completely  to 
distinguish  between  half  and  full  truths,  between  the  essen- 
tial and  the  non-essential,  between  the  spirit  and  the  letter. 
Much  of  their  time  was  spent  in  attempting  to  harmonize 
real  inconsistencies  by  means  of  arbitrary  and  conflicting 
interpretations  which  only  added  to  the  general  confusion. 

Under  the  influence  of  party  strife,  hostile  contact  with 
the  heathen,  false  systems  of  interpretation,  and  the  ten- 
dency toward  extreme  ritualism  the  Jewish  race  was  fast 
losing  sight  of  its  noblest  spiritual  heritage.  The  legal 
books  were  exalted  to  a  position  of  commanding  authority, 
while  the  prophecies  were  almost  ignored.  There  was 
368 


Appendix 

an  imperative  need  of  a  reformer  with  authority  to  call 
back  the  Jewish  people  to  their  highest  standards  and 
ideals ;  but  still  greater  was  the  demand  for  one  divinely 
prepared  and  commissioned  to  sift  out  and  unify  that  which 
was  genuine  and  valuable  in  their  faith  and  to  give  it  back 
in  living  form  to  them  and  to  humanity  as  a  whole. 

In  God's  providence,  John  the  Baptist  raised  the  cry  of 
reform,  reiterating  forcibly  and  effectively  the  messages  of 
Elijah,  of  Amos,  of  Isaiah,  and  of  Jeremiah,  w^hile  the  one, 
the  latchet  of  whose  sandals  he  was  not  worthy  to  unloose, 
performed  the  incomparably  greater  service. 

Naturally  both  were  recognized  as  prophets  by  their  con- 
temporaries. Jesus  openly  proclaimed  John  to  be  a  proph- 
et— the  most  illustrious  of  that  noble  order.  On  no  record- 
ed occasion  did  the  master  repudiate  the  title  of  proph- 
et when  it  was  applied  to  himself.  While  it  only  par- 
tially described  his  real  character  and  mission,  it  suggested 
his  close  and  fundamental  relationship  to  the  inspired  am- 
bassadors of  Jehovah.  The  tone  of  authority  with  which 
he  spoke  and  the  directness  of  his  appeals  at  once  distin- 
guished him  from  the  scribes  and  recalled  the  words  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets.  The  same  is  true  of  the  forms  in  which 
he  presented  his  teachings.  From  his  lips  exhortations, 
warnings,  and  invective  again  fell  as  of  old  upon  Jewish 
ears.  Although  the  parable,  the  paradox,  and  apothegm 
were  originally  the  product  of  the  sages  of  ancient  Israel, 
the  prophets  had  often  used  them,  as  did  Jesus,  to  impress 

369 


Appendix 

their  message  upon  the  minds  of  their  hearers.  While 
the  Master  frequently  gave  to  them  a  new  and  broader 
content,  the  figures  of  speech  most  commonly  on  his  lips — 
the  good  shepherd,  the  vine,  the  light,  the  way  and  the 
divine  Father — were  those  which  had  long  been  effectively 
employed  by  the  prophets. 

In  the  range  of  the  subjects  treated  the  same  close  kin- 
ship is  apparent.  Respecting  the  observation  of  the  cere- 
monial law  he  had  comparatively  little  to  say,  and  when 
he  spoke  it  was  frequently  to  reject  the  teachings  of  the 
scribes.  In  common  with  the  prophets,  it  was  the  char- 
acter and  demands  of  God,  the  normal  development  of 
man,  and  his  duties  to  God  and  his  fellow-men,  which 
commanded  the  attention  of  Jesus.  In  his  teachings,  how- 
ever, there  are  few  references  to  the  political  and  social 
questions  of  the  hour.  He  preferred  to  lay  down  broad 
and  general  principles.  As  with  the  Hebrew  sages,  the  in- 
dividual, not  the  nation,  was  the  object  of  his  solicitude. 
The  result  is  that,  with  a  few  exceptions  which  partake  of 
the  local  coloring,  his  messages  are  of  universal  applica- 
tion, and  do  not  require  interpretation  in  the  light  of  the 
age  in  which  they  were  uttered  in  order  to  be  understood 
and  assimilated. 

In  the  teachings  themselves  the  relationship   betw^een 

Jesus  and  the  prophets  is  equally  close  and  the  points  of 

difference  equally  significant.     It  is  the  united  testimony 

of  the  gospel  writers  and  of  his  recorded  words  that  he 

370 


Appendix 

was  a  careful  student  of  the  sacred  scriptures  of  his  race. 
From  each  group  of  Old  Testament  teachers — prophets, 
priests,  sages,  and  psalmists — he  gleaned  many  truths,  but 
naturally  the  most  from  the  prophets.  To  the  thoughtful 
student  of  the  Old  Testament  it  is  obvious  that  their  in- 
spired messages  are  the  source  of  most  that  is  unique  and 
eternal  in  that  ancient  library.  The  sages  first  sat  at 
their  feet,  and  then  in  their  own  peculiar  way  broke  the 
truths  thus  acquired  to  the  men  and  women  with  whom 
they  came  into  intimate  contact.  Likewise  the  priests 
endeavored  by  symbol  and  forms  to  impress  the  same 
great  prophetic  principles  upon  the  minds  of  the  nation 
and  individual.  The  psalmists  also  were  disciples  of 
the  prophets  or  students  of  their  written  words,  who 
voiced  in  prayer  and  song  the  same  undying  hopes  and 
the  same  eternal  truths ;  thus  the  Old  Testament  is 
transfused  from  beginning  to  end  with  the  thoughts  of 
the  prophets. 

It  was  inevitable  that  he  who  was  the  medium  of  a  fuller 
and  more  perfect  revelation  of  the  same  divine  purpose, 
which  had  been  made  known  in  part  to  the  prophets, 
should  build  largely  upon  the  foundations  laid  by  his  in- 
spired predecessors.  Turning  his  back  upon  the  tradition- 
alism of  the  letter,  which  characterized  contemporary  Ju- 
daism, he  exalted  to  their  true  position  of  pre-eminence 
the  spiritual  and  ethical  teachings  of  the  prophets.  Again 
the  emphasis  was  placed  not  on  the  external  act  but  upon 
371 


Appendix 

the  motive  and  the  attitude  toward  God.  In  reahty,  Jere- 
miah and  the  authors  of  Isaiah  40  to  55  and  the  Book  of 
Jonah  stand  much  closer  to  Jesus  than  do  the  teachers  of 
his  day.  Late  Judaism  had  departed  so  widely  from  the 
way  marked  out  by  its  earlier  guides  that  bitter  antagon- 
ism between  him  and  its  leaders  was  unavoidable. 

Although  we  are  filled  with  wonder  and  reverence  be- 
cause of  the  originality,  the  uniqueness,  and  the  perfection 
of  Jesus's  teaching  as  a  whole,  so  fundamental  and  close 
is  the  relationship  between  it  and  that  of  the  prophets,  that 
we  find  in  the  gospels  very  few  individual  truths  the  germ 
of  which  is  not  discernible  in  their  writings.  The  re- 
lationship, however,  is  in  most  cases  that  of  the  germ  or 
shoot  to  the  fully  developed  flower. 

Thus  to  the  abstract  conception  of  God  as  presented  by 
the  prophets,  Jesus  added  nothing  entirely  new.  Even 
his  fundamental  teaching  of  the  divine  fatherhood  found 
frequent  expression  in  the  writings  of  his  inspired  fore- 
runners. Hosea  and  Jeremiah  proclaimed  that  Jehovah 
was  the  Father  of  his  people  Israel  (Hos.  11  :  1,3;  Jer. 
3  :  19;  31  :  9,  20).  In  a  still  more  intimate  sense  he  is 
spoken  of  as  the  Father  of  the  righteous  (Isa.  63  :  16),  and 
of  the  individual  (Mai.  2:  10).  Jesus,  however,  suffused 
this  rather  abstract  conception  with  a  wealth  of  personal 
meaning,  thereby  spanning  the  wide  gulf  which  Judaism 
has  established  between  God  and  man.  In  this  way  the 
conception  of  God  was  entirely  changed  ;  instead  of  being 
372 


Appendix 

regarded  as  a  distant,  almost  impersonal  Being,  he  was  re- 
vealed as  the  affectionate,  compassionate  Father,  whose 
heart  was  throbbing  with  inexpressible  love  even  for  his 
erring,  prodigal  sons.  The  truth  half  grasped  by  the 
prophets  henceforth  became  the  complete  possession  of 
mankind. 

Similarly  almost  every  one  of  the  ancient  ambassadors 
of  Jehovah  had  spoken  of  the  coming  kingdom  of  God, 
but  Jesus  first  clearly  defined  its  nature,  extent,  and  the 
conditions  of  entrance  into  it.  Many  and  varied,  and  in 
details  sometimes  conflicting,  were  the  pictures  of  that 
coming  kingdom  as  presented  by  those  inspired  men  of 
old,  who  under  the  influence  of  the  divine  spirit  saw  from 
their  own  individual  points  of  view  dimly  the  outlines  of 
the  great  plan  to  be  realized  in  human  history.  Some 
would  almost  limit  its  privileges  to  the  chosen  race; 
others  pictured  it  as  a  temporal  kingdom  with  its  centre 
at  Jerusalem  ;  while  others  appreciated  its  spiritual  and 
universal  character. 

Unlike  the  scribes,  Jesus  never  attempted  to  reconcile 
the  irreconcilable.  Quietly  but  effectively  he  sifted  out  the 
eternal  truth  from  that  which  was  temporal.  By  empha- 
sizing the  essential  he  rejected  by  silence  the  false.  Far 
different  from  the  kingdom  of  God  of  popular  expectation, 
which  undoubtedly  had  a  certain  basis  in  the  old  prophecies, 
was  that  which  Jesus  pictured,  and  yet  in  the  same  old 
writings  were  to  be  found  most  of  the  elements  which 
373 


Appendix 

together  made  up  the  marvellous  structure  to  which  we 
are  introduced  in  the  gospels. 

The  same  is  true  of  his  definition  of  the  character  and 
mission  of  the  Messiah.  It  disappointed  the  fondest 
expectations  of  contemporary  Judaism,  and  yet  it  was  in 
perfect  accord  with  the  highest  ideals  of  those  prophets, 
who,  like  the  author  of  Isaiah  40  to  55,  saw  most  clearly 
the  manner  in  which  God's  gracious  purpose  for  mankind 
must  be  realized. 

Thus  the  relationship  between  the  teachings  of  Jesus 
and  that  of  the  prophets  was  most  intimate  and  funda- 
mental. In  an  age  which  was  neglectful  of  their  mes- 
sages, he  again  gave  them  that  position  of  transcendent 
prominence  which  they  deserved.  Sifting  the  gold  from 
the  dross,  he  unified  their  teachings,  and  in  simplicity  and 
with  divine  authority  he  gave  them  their  perfect  expres- 
sion. Taking  their  truths,  he  brought  them  to  full  fruition 
in  the  message  of  the  Gospel.  Above  all,  in  his  own  life 
he  illustrated  and  made  living  and  personal  the  abstract 
principles  so  nobly  presented  by  the  old  champions  of 
righteousness.  Thus  "  the  word  became  flesh  and  dwelt 
among  us." 


374 


Appendix 


III 

BOOKS    OF    REFERENCE 

As  in  the  appendix  to  the  former  volume,  the  books  which 
follow  are  mentioned  for  their  usefulness  to  the  non-profes- 
sional student.  No  attempt  is  made  to  give  a  complete 
bibliography. 

The  contents  of  this  volume  span  about  four  centuries.  For 
the  organized  history  of  these  centuries  the  student  may  be  re- 
ferred to  Professor  C.  F.  Kent's  "  History  of  the  Jewish  Peo- 
ple," 1899  (Scribner's),  or  to  the  brief  but  complete  sketch  by 
Professor  C.  H.  Cornill,  "  History  of  the  People  of  Israel," 
1898  (Open  Court  Publishing  Co.).  Two  conservative  sur- 
veys of  the  period  up  to  the  adoption  of  the  Law  are  the  ex- 
cellent little  primer  by  Rev.  Professor  A.  B.  Davidson,  entitled 
"  The  Exile  and  the  Restoration  "  (T.  and  T.  Clark),  and  the 
vivid  but  judicious  volumes  of  Rev.  P.  H.  Hunter,  "  After  the 
Exile  "  (imported  by  Scribners).  An  outline  for  the  scientific 
study  of  the  history  and  literature  of  the  whole  period  by  Pro- 
fessor F.  K.  Sanders  will  be  published  in  1899  (Scribners). 

On  the  prophetic  books  it  is  always  well  worth  while  to  con- 
sult the  "  Encyclopaedia  Britannica. ''  The  new  Hastings  "Bi- 
ble Dictionary  "  (Scribners)  contains  the  well-digested  conclu- 
sions of  our  best  scholarship.      For  a  connected  sketch  of  the 

375 


Appendix 

prophets  and  their  writings,  Cornill's  "  Prophets  of  Israel," 
1895  (Open  Court  Publishing  Co.),  is  helpful.  On  the  Minor 
Prophets,  Farrar's  little  book,  "The  Minor  Prophets,"  1889, 
in  the  Men  of  the  Bible  series  (Revell),  is  still  useful.  Pro- 
fessor Driver's  "  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  Old 
Testament,"  sixth  edition,  1897  (Scribners),  is  a  mine  of  in- 
formation. For  the  study  of  the  teachings  of  each  prophet, 
Professor  Kirkpatrick's  "The  Doctrine  of  the  Prophets," 
second  edition,  1897  (Macmillan),  is  of  great  value,  but  for 
their  interpretation  in  general  no  book  is  so  helpful  as  Pro- 
fessor George  Adam  Smith's  "The  Book  of  the  Twelve 
Prophets,"  Vol.  II.,  1898  (Armstrongs).  The  close  student 
will  highly  appreciate  Nowack's  "Die  Kleine  Propheten," 
1898  (untranslated). 

For  the  study  of  Ezekiel  there  are  four  recent  and  first-class 
commentaries.  That  of  Professor  A.  B.  Davidson,  in  the 
Cambridge  Bible  series,  1892,  is  handy,  reliable,  and  suited  to 
the  needs  of  the  average  student.  Professor  Skinner,  in  1895, 
contributed  to  the  Expositor's  Bible  series  one  of  its  most  nota- 
ble volumes  on  Ezekiel  (Armstrongs).  It  is  singularly  clear 
and  forceful.  Eertholet's  commentary  in  the  "  Kurtzer  Hand 
Commentar"  series,  1897  (untranslated),  is  of  the  first  rank,  a 
judgment  also  merited  by  Professor  Toy's  contribution  to 
Haupt's  Polychrome  Bible,  1899  (Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.),  con- 
taining a  choice  translation  and  excellent  notes. 

On  Isaiah  40  to  66  the  most  convenient  and  reliable  com- 
mentary is  Professor  Skinner's  volume  in  the  Cambridge  Bible 
series,  "Isaiah   XL.-LXVL,"    1898    (Cambridge    University 


Appendix 

Press).  Professor  G.  A.  Smith's  "The  Book  of  Isaiah,  XL.- 
LXVI.,"  in  the  Expositor's  Bible  series,  is  of  standard  value, 
1890  (Armstrongs).  Professor  Cheyne's  contribution  to  the 
Polychrome  Bible  on  Isaiah,  1898  (Dodd,  Mead  &  Co.),  con- 
tains an  independent  arrangement,  a  beautiful  translation  and 
some  valuable  notes. 

On  Haggai,  Zechariah  and  Malachi,  Professor  Marcus  Dods 
has  written  an  excellent  little  commentary  for  the  "  Hand- 
Book  for  Bible  Classes  "  series.  They  are  satisfactorily  treated 
in  the  comprehensive  works  previously  mentioned.  The  prob- 
lems of  Zechariah  9- 14  are  admirably  set  forth  by  Kirkpatrick, 
pp.  442  flP.,  and  by  Smith  in  the  second  volume  of  "  The  Book 
of  the  Twelve,"  pp.  449-62.  The  latter  mentions  the  elab- 
orated arguments  of  Stade  and  Eckardt  in  the  "  Zeitschrift  fiir 
A.  T.  Wissenschaft  "  for  1881-82,  1893,  of  Robinson  in  the 
"  American  Journal  of  Semitic  Languages,"  1895,  of  Rubin- 
kam  and  others.  These  detailed  discussions  will  be  of  little 
interest  to  the  average  reader. 

Joel  is  admirably  treated  by  Professor  Driver,  in  the  Cam- 
bridge Bible  series,  "Joel  and  Amos"  (1897).  Articles  by 
Davidson  in  the  Expositor,  March,  1888,  and  by  Elmslie, 
somewhat  later,  are  well  worth  reading.  On  Jonah  there  is  no 
single  commentary  worth  mentioning.  Hunter,  Vol.  II,,  pp. 
51-61,  and  the  article  by  Konig  in  Vol.  II.  of  the  Hastings 
"  Bible  Dictionary,"  are  very  helpful  studies.  The  article  in 
the  same  volume  of  the  Dictionary  upon  Joel  makes  a  strong 
presentation  of  the  argument  for  a  pre-exilic  date. 


377 


I 


INDEX   OF   BIBLICAL   PASSAGES 


INDEX   OF   BIBLICAL   PASSAGES 


ISAIAH 

CHAPTERS  PAGES 

13  :  2  to  14  :  23    .    135,  136,  138-140 
21  :  i-io 136-138 

24 313-315 

25  :  1-5 317,  318 

25  :  6-8 315 

25  :  9  to  26  :  19      .     .     •     .  318,  319 

26  •-  20  to  27  :  13     .     .     .     .  316,  317 

34  and  35 282,  283 

40  to  55 149-160 

40  to  48 160-179 

49  to  55 180-193 

56 :  1-8 262 

56  :  9  to  57  :  13*     ■     •     •     •  255-257 

57  :  i3b-2i 260,  261 

58  :  1-12 257,  258 

58  :  13,  14 261 

59  :  1-21 258-260 

60 275,  276 

61  and  62 277,  278 

63  :  1-6 281,  282 

63  :  7  to  64  :  12      .     .     .     .  310-313 

65  :  I  to  66  :  5 279 

66  :  6-16 283,  284 

66  :  17,  18, 233 

66  :  i8t>-24 284,  285 


JEREMIAH 


40  to  43  :  7  .  . 
43  :  8  to  44  :  30 
50  :  I  to  51  :  58 


134.  135, 


■  87-91 
•  9'-94 
[40-145 


EZEKIEL 

CHAPTERS  PAGES 

I  :  I  to  3  :  21 28-31 

3  :  22  to  7  :  27 35-4° 

8  :  1  to  12  :  20 40-46 

12  :  21  to  19  :  14 46-54 

20  to  24 54-60 

25  to  32 72-83 

33  to  39 97-108 

40  to  48 111-128 

JOEL 

1  :  I  to  2  :  17 293-297 

2  :  18  to  3  :  21 298-302 

OBADIAH 

I    to   21 69-72 

JONAH 

1:1-3 348.  349 

1  :  4  to  2  :  10 349-351 

3 352,  353 

4 353,  354 

HAGGAI 

1  :  1-15 206,  207 

2:1-9 267,  208 

2  :  10-23 210-212 


38' 


Index  of  Biblical  Passages 


ZECHARIAH 

CHAPTERS  PAGES 

I  :  1-6 209 

i:7to6;8 2T2-224 

6  :  9-15 224-227 

7  and  8 227-233 

9   326-328 

10 328-330 

"  330-332 


CHAPTERS  PAGES 

12  :  I  to  13  :  6 332-334 

13  :  7-9 332 

14 334-336 

MALACHI 

1 :  2  to  2  :  16 244-249 

2  :  17  to  4  :  6 249-252 


382 


TLbc  1bt5toi1cal  Scries 

FOR  BIBLE  STUDENTS 

EDITED    BY 

Professor  Charles    F.  Kent,   Ph.D.,  of  Brown  Univer- 
sity, and  Professor  Frank  K.  Sanders,  Ph.D., 
of  Yale  University. 


IN  response  to  a  widespread  demand  for  non-technical 
yet  scholarly  and  reliable  guides  to  the  study  of  the 
history,  literature,  and  teaching  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  and  of  (he  contemporary  history  and  litera- 
ture, this  series  aims  to  present  in  concise  and  attractive 
form  the  results  of  investigation  and  exploration  in  these 
broad  fields.  Based  upon  thoroughly  critical  scholar- 
ship, it  will  emphasize  assured  and  positive  rather  than 
transitional  positions.  The  series  as  a  whole  is  intended 
to  present  a  complete  and  connected  picture  of  the  social, 
political,  and  religious  life  of  the  men  and  peoples  who 
figure  most  prominently  in  the  biblical  records. 

Each  volume  will  be  complete  in  itself,  treating  com- 
prehensively a  given  subject  or  period.  It  will  also  refer 
freely  to  the  biblical  and  monumental  sources,  and  to  the 
standard  authorities.  Convenience  of  size,  clearness  of 
presentation,  and  helpfulness  to  the  student,  will  make 
the  series  particularly  well  adapted  for  (i)  practical  text- 
books for  college,  seminary,  and  university  classes  ;  (2) 
hand-books  for  the  use  of  Bible  classes,  clubs,  and 
guilds  ;  (3)  guides  for  individual  study  ;  and  (4)  books 
for  general  reference. 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
Publishers New  York 


Ubc  IfDistorical  Series 

FOR   BIBLE   STUDENTS 


HISTORY  OF  THE  HEBREW   PEOPLE 
I.    Ube  'Ulnite^  ^Ring^om.    Fifth  edition. 
n.    Ube  E)ivi^»c^  Ikingftom.    Fifth  edition. 

Charles  F.  Kent,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and 
History,  Brown  University. 

HISTORY   OF   THE  JEWISH    PEOPLE 

III.  "Cbe  JSab^lonian,  BJersian,  an&  ©reel?  perlobs. 

Charles  F.  Kent,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and 
History,  Brown  University. 

IV.  Ube  flDactabean  anb  IRoman  JJeriob  (including  New  Testament 

Times). 
James  S.  Riggs,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Criticism,  Auburn 
Theological  Seminary. 

CONTEMPORARY  OLD  TESTAMENT   HISTORY 

V.  Ibistons  Of  tbe  Egyptians. 

James  H.  Breasted,  Ph.D.,  Assistant  Professor  of  Semitic  Lan- 
guages and  Egyptology,  the  University  of  Chicago. 
VI.    Ibistor?  of  tbc  iJSabisIonians  an6  Hss^rians. 

George  S.  Goodspeed,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Ancient  History,  the 
University  of  Chicago. 

NEW  TESTAMENT  HISTORIES 

VII.    -Cbc  life  Of  3cs\x3. 

Rush  Rhees,  Professor  of  New  Testament  Interpretation,  New- 
ton Theological  Seminary. 

VIII.    Ubc  Bpostolic  Hge. 

George  T.  Purves,  Ph.D.,  D.D.,  Professor  of  New  Testament 
Literature  and  Exegesis,  Princeton  Theological  Seminary. 

OUTLINES  FOR  THE  STUDY  OF  BIBLICAL   HISTORY  AND 
LITERATURE 
IX.    iprom  Earnest  Uimes  to  tbe  Captivity. 
X.    iFrom  tbe  Epile  to  200  H.  W. 

Frank  K.  Sanders,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Biblical  Literature,  Yale 
University. 


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